We’re used to seeing dogs and cats play with toys or get the zoomies . . . but do animals like rats and bumblebees play too? What is animal play for? How do scientists even decide what counts as play?
Today, we’re taking a serious look at goofy behavior. We’ll discover the five-part checklist that many scientists use to recognize play in nature, and find out why taking turns is so important for healthy brain development.
This episode is a collaboration between Outside/In and Tumble, the science podcast for kids.
Featuring Junyi Chu and Jackson Ham.
SUPPORT
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
LINKS
Love this episode? Looking for family-friendly podcasts to listen to? There are over 150 episodes of Tumble to check out, including a few of our favorites:
The five-part play checklist mentioned in the episode was developed by play researcher Gordon M. Burghardt. His paper, “Play in fishes, frogs and reptiles,” answers some other really interesting questions about animal play.
CREDITS
Host: Nate Hegyi
Reported and produced by Lindsay Patterson, Marshall Escamilla, and Taylor Quimby.
Mixed by Taylor Quimby.
Editing by Lindsay Patterson, Marshall Escamilla, and Taylor Quimby, with help from Rebecca Lavoie.
Our staff includes Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, Marina Henke, and Kate Dario.
Outside/In’s Executive producer is Taylor Quimby.
Rebecca Lavoie is NHPR’s Director of On-Demand Audio.
Music by Blue Dot Sessions, Andreas Dahlback, Smartface, and Margareta.
Special thanks to Sara Robberson Lentz for refereeing the making of this episode.
This episode was a joint production of Tumble Media and Outside/In.
Submit a question to the “Outside/Inbox.” We answer queries about the natural world, climate change, sustainability, and human evolution. You can send a voice memo to outsidein@nhpr.org or leave a message on our hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER (844-466-8837).
