The MeatEater Podcast - MeatEater Kids VII

Episode Date: December 27, 2024

Subscribe Now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts to get the rest of Season Two! We are back for Season 2 of MeatEater Kids! It's a fun, educational, and engaging podcast for all of you outdoor kids. Learn about science and history from Steve's "Why It's the Way It Is" segment and impress your friends with your newfound knowledge, develop your ear for animal vocalizations with our "Guess that Critter" segment, and play along during "Kids Trivia" with host Spencer Neuharth. Connect with Steve, Spencer, MeatEater, and The MeatEater Podcast Network MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube Check out our new Kids T-ShirtSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes when it comes to your personal fitness goals, you just need a plan. Peloton can give you the plan. Absolutely. And Steve, you've got a Peloton. I sure do. And Steve benefits from things like a variety of challenging classes. There are four-week strength-building classes, running, cycling, everything in between. Peloton can adapt to any goal in this season of your life.

And by the way, the holidays are around the corner. Now is when you need to be on the Peloton. Find your push, find your power with Peloton at onepeloton.ca. Hey everyone, Phil the engineer here. If you're listening to this, that means you've probably already realized that we are not dropping a MeatEater Radio Live this week.

And in lieu of that, we will be dropping two episodes of the MeatEater Kids podcast on the MeatEater feed right here. Why are we doing this? Even though we mentioned it a couple of times on social media and in some MeatEater podcast episodes we're still getting some questions from parents asking, I saw you put up MeatEater Kids episode 6, are we getting any more? The answer is hey, yeah, we've got some more. They're over on a brand new MeatEater Kids podcast feed.

And we'd love if you could go over and subscribe to that brand new feed that's just our kids' content. Hop on over to the search bar in whatever program you're using, type in MeatEater Kids, hit that follow or subscribe or join or whatever button it is, and that way you'll be in the loop when we drop new kids' episodes or whatever new kids' content we've got cooking up. So enjoy this episode of MeatEater Kids and be sure to head over to the brand new feed, hit that follow button, hit that subscribe button. It helps us out and you stay in the loop.

Thanks. No melting mess, no ice runs. The new Dometic CFX5 keeps your food chilled and your ice frozen so you can stay focused on the hunt. Just load it up, plug it in, and let it do the rest. I love using mine on hot pronghorn hunts and at early season elk camp. It really is a game changer. Head to Dometic.com to learn more about Dometic electric coolers. It's time for Why It's the Way It Is. Today on Why It's the Way It Is we're going to talk about gizzards, which is kind of a

funny sounding word, gizzards. And I'm going to start out by saying you don't have a gizzard. Birds have gizzards. All birds have gizzards, but not all birds' gizzards are the same. Now if you've ever been out with your folks or family friends or whatever hunting and you've seen them clean a bird like a duck or a goose or a turkey or a grouse or a pheasant or any of the birds we call game birds, you might have noticed that they have an organ like a big kind of egg shaped purple real strong muscular organ in their body.

It's kind of like the biggest organ they have inside their body cavity. That thing is called a gizzard. You'll know when you're looking at it because like I said, it's kind of like a clam almost, or like an egg, and it's real strong and rubbery. Like it looks like a thing you could play racquetball with. That's a gizzard. Now the reason you might see Now, the reason you might see large gizzards in those birds that people hunt for, like ducks and geese and game birds like quail and turkeys and doves, is because those birds, those birds we hunt for tend to eat a lot of seeds and nuts. Now if you think of birds we don't eat, like hawks and owls and eagles, they don't eat

a lot of seeds and nuts. They eat a lot of meat and meat is digested differently. But game birds, the ones we like to eat, eat a lot of hard seeds and nuts and the gizzard is what helps the bird digest those hard materials. Here's how a gizzard works. First, let's take a turkey. When a turkey goes out in the woods and he finds something to eat, let's say he eats a grasshopper, then he might eat an acorn, then he might wander around a little more and go into someone's yard and eat some bird seed that got left out like a piece of corn, okay? That food will initially go into his crop, which is like a little

storage bag right in his throat. It just holds the food. If you open up a bird's crop and take the food out, it's gonna look just like it was before he ate it because they don't chew their food. In fact, I opened a crop up one time on a bird called the Hungarian partridge. People call them huns, and it had been eating grasshoppers.

And the grasshoppers in his crop were still alive. So a crop just holds it. Once it leaves its crop it goes down into a first stomach, which is kind of like your stomach with some enzymes in it to help break it down, but then it passes into the gizzard. And here's what's crazy about the gizzard. The gizzard is full of gravel. Okay, a bird that has a big gizzard, a game bird or a duck or goose or whatever that has a big gizzard, goes out and eats little rocks, little pieces of gravel, little pieces of shells from like seashells, okay, whatever you can get that's hard. You eat that and that stuff goes down to live in the gizzard

and the gizzard takes that it's like a little meat grinder. That muscle full of those rocks can take and contract and just smash up any kind of food to eat and the rocks just live in that gizzard and it's like a little grinder and it grinds that food down and that's part of its digestion. What's weird about gizzards, besides what they look like, is how good they are to eat. When you buy a Thanksgiving turkey, for instance, it'll sometimes come with a bag of what they call giblets. The heart might be in there, the liver might be in there, the neck might be in there, and what'll be in there too is the gizzard. Because meat is muscle, right? Muscle is meat, meat is muscle. A gizzard. Because meat is muscle, right?

Muscle is meat, meat is muscle. A gizzard, while part of the digestive tract, is a big hunk of muscle. So it's edible. And since they're so tough, they're kinda hard to cook. You have to cook them a long time or simmer them in water a long time to break them down. Because you're trying to like,

break down that muscle in a way that you can digest it. So that is what is up with a gizzard and the next time you're cleaning birds with someone make sure they get you out the gizzard, make sure you cut it open and get all the gravel out and then make sure you simmer it in some salty water for an hour or two and then try it and you will see just how good gizzards are and you'll learn while you're cleaning it how they work because you'll see all that gravel inside there and if you want to do something pretty cool, clean that gravel up and save it in a jar and over the course of your lifetime you'll have a big

jar full of real cool rocks. Why do fish live in salt water? Because pepper makes them sneeze. It's time for Guess That Critter, where we play animal sounds and critter calls and you've got to guess what creature is making those sounds. Don't worry, it ain't too hard. We're going to throw in some clues. Now open up your ears.

These critters live across the western U.S. with another large population in southern Florida. They can live high up in the mountains, in deserts, and even in coastal swamps. They have huge home ranges or territories. Males range across more than a hundred square miles. A female's home range might span up to 80 square miles. While that might sound like a bird chirping, it's definitely not a bird. These high-pitched chirps carry over short and long distances and are a form of communication between these mainly solitary critters.

These animals are known to make a spooky sound as well, which has scared many people in the woods at night. That's a scream call, which is a noise a female makes when she's ready to breed and wants to be found by a male. Here's an example of another sound used during courtship or breeding. It's known as catarwalling. These critters can long jump up to 40 feet and sprint up to 50 miles per hour. They mostly hunt at night and love deer and elk meat. They'll also eat bighorn sheep and smaller animals such as rabbit, turkey, raccoon, and porcupine. Adult males can reach over 8 feet in length and weigh 130 to 200 pounds, while adult females are slightly smaller at up to 7 feet long and weigh between 65 and 90 pounds.

They can appear reddish-brown, beige, tan, and grayish in color. Do you think you know it? Time for the reveal. It's a mountain lion, also known as a cougar, catamount, panther, and puma. So if you guessed any one of those, you're right. Mountain lions are big cats that can't roar because they don't have the hyoid bone,

required to make the deep roar that other big cats like leopards, lions, and jaguars use. Mountain lions are managed as a game species in most of the states where they live, which means you can hunt them. Their meat is light in color and delicious. It tastes kind of like pork, and you can make a darn tasty mountain lion honey ham. While mountain lions are cautious and tend to avoid humans in the wild, if you ever encounter one of these big cats outside, raise your arms and yell at it. Don't run away,

just try to look big and scary. Why do French people eat snails? Because they hate fast food. It's time for everyone's favorite game show, trivia. Let's all join in. I'm joined by Mabel, Matthew, Rosie, Hayden, Conley, Sage, Hattie, and Bay. Each player will earn $10 for conservation with every question they get right. Today there's a potential for this room to earn up to $240.

This week that donation is going to the National Wildlife Federation who publishes the kids magazine Ranger Rick. Let's see how much money our players can raise. Question one, what state is Mount Rushmore in? Is it South Dakota, Arizona, or Washington? What state is Mount Rushmore in? South Dakota, Arizona, or Washington? Lot of quick answers.

Is everybody ready? Yeah. I'm more concerned about some people's answers. Rosie is entertained. What is that? Is everybody ready? Yeah. Go ahead and reveal your answers.

Bae. South Dakota. Rosie. Bae, you Washington. You Washington. I'm down. Bae, I'm Washington. I was Washington. and reveal your answers Bay South Dakota Rosie Okay, so I was like I had my answer right but I was looking at their boards and I meant to say Washington Okay, Bay sayse says Washington. Rosie. I say Washington. Mabel. South Dakota. Hattie.

South Dakota. Hayden. South Dakota. Sage. South Dakota. Conley. South Dakota. Matthew.

Arizona. What if it's Arizona you guys? It's not. The correct answer is South Dakota. Oh my god. The room did pretty well. See here's where I mess up because I said that I was concerned with people's answers and... Oh, and you told on... you were concerned with your own answer. You were with people, right?

I was most concerned when Bae looked at other people's boards and then said, hey... Mount Rushmore is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The four presidents on Mount Rushmore are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abe Lincoln. Has anyone been to Mount Rushmore or George Washington Thomas Jefferson Theodore Roosevelt and Abe Lincoln has anyone been to Mount Rushmore My dad has no your dad has well Then there what's your review of it was it worth the drive? Um, well, I was kind of five years old or like I was not I don't really remember but I have like small memories Memories What do you think his review of Mount Rushmore is Mount Rushmore, yeah, did you even go I

Think he thought it was cool. You think he thought it was cool. Okay, there is a Steve's endorsement via Matthew. It's cool Question two. What's the name for a baby moose? Is it colt, foal, or calf? What's the name for a baby moose? Colt, foal, or calf? Hayden declared this is an easy one. Yeah, I think it's pretty easy too. I feel like if you think about the names that you would call the other animals, if you think about the names that you would call like the other animals like if you like think about some of the

Answers you can think about what the babies think about our cow But I hope it's not like I hope I didn't get this wrong I want to get it wrong because thinking about a different thing. That's kind of like Is it a colt? A horse? Yeah, a colt is a horse A foal is a deer, I think. Yeah, a foal is a deer? What?

Go ahead and reveal your answers. We have Bay. Calf. Rosie. Calf. Mabel. Calf. Hattie.

Calf. Hayden. Calf. Sage. Calf. Conley. Calf. Matthew.

Calf. You guys got it. The correct answer is calf. That's what I thought. Cults and foals are names for baby horses. A male moose is a bull. A female moose is a cow. And a baby moose is a calf. What are some other baby animals that are called calves? Oh, cows. Well, elk. That's right, cows.

That's right. Anything else you can think of? Bighorn sheep, I think? Oh, and then... I don't know about a big... I can't prove you wrong. I'll say that. Like an elk, maybe? An elk, yeah. I think deer, I don't know about a big. I can't prove you wrong. I'll say that like an elk

Maybe an elk yeah here. I think aardvark a deer no not a deer caribou That's a fawn. Dolphins elephants giraffes hippos rhinos rhinos and whales rhinos You guys got me good on that one. Question three. What kind of animal is Baloo from the Jungle Book? Is it Black Panther, Sloth Bear, or Indian Elephant? What kind of animal is Baloo from the Jungle Book? Well, you're gonna have to think of which animal.

Which animal sounds like it'd be named Baloo? I'm just looking over at Sage's whiteboard. Sloth bear or Indian elephant. Conley, do you know this one? No. Sage, do you know this one? I think so. OK. What kind of animal is blue from the Jungle Book? Black Panther, sloth bear or Indian elephant?

Wait, wouldn't it make sense if it was like an elephant? Yeah that's kinda... I'm guessing but I hope I get it. What's the jungle book? It's an Indian elephant. It's a movie. It's a play. And believe it or not it's for people your age.

Rosie think about how it's an Indian elephant. Is that helping if you think about how it's an Indian elephant. Not. Is that helping if you think about how it's an Indian elephant? I mean, I don't really study up on the elephants. Rosie, Rosie, be confident. Have you ever seen an Indian elephant? OK, is everybody ready? Is everybody ready? Well, no.

So why would a deer can eat an elephant? Is Matt Rushmore in Arizona? Go ahead and reveal your answers. Bae. Sloth bear. Rosie. Sloth bear. Mabel. Sloth bear. Hatt Bay. Sloth bear. Rosie. Sloth bear. Mabel.

Sloth bear. Hattie. Sloth bear. Hayden. Sloth bear. Sage. Sloth bear. Conley.

Sloth bear. Matthew. Sloth bear. The correct answer is sloth bear. You guys got it. Eight per eight. Yippee, I was always confident in Sage's answer. Sloth bears are real animals that are native to India.

Their diet primarily consists of termites, ants, honey and fruit, which Baloo says are part of the bear necessities. What do you guys think are some things that are part of the bear necessities for you? Bears. You think bears? Now the bear necessity is something

you can't live without. You can't live without bears? Hibernation. Or. Pfft. You hibernate? Blueberries. Blueberries, that's a good one. Food, of course, yeah. Hibernation. Or. Pfft. You hibernate? Blueberries. Blueberries, that's a good one.

Food, of course, yeah. Of course we need food. Any other bear necessities? Water, okay, that's a good one. Blueberries, food, and water. And fur, those are the bear necessities for our eight trivia players today. That's it for this round of trivia.

Phil the engineer, how much money did we raise? They raised $210 $210 going to the National Wildlife Federation Well done kids join us next time for more meat eater kids trivia the only other game show where conservation always wins Thanks for listening everyone. See you next week on meat eater kids Hey guys earlier this year on Meat Eater Kids. Again, it's a kids show. You listen to it with your kids. It occurs in three acts. There's a little history lesson or a wildlife ecology lesson. There's a animal call game that you play by listening to animal calls and trying to guess what animals you're hearing based on some clues. And then real live kids come in

the studio and play kids trivia and work together to build up a little pot of money to donate to kids focused conservation organizations. So Meat Eater Kids podcast coming back round two. Meat Eater Kids. Find Meat Eater Kids wherever you get your podcasts.