Show Notes
Art and Science collide on The Zooquarium Podcast! Meet Mike Bennett - he's an artist and educator originally from Pennsylvania. After moving to Portland, OR, Mike began creating large-scale cartoon characters cut out of wood. Now, he's the brains behind a number of cartoon establishments, popular yard signs, and art partnerships all over the world. Meet Chanel - she's the marine biologist and wildlife expert behind the biomes at The Portland Aquarium and the Director of Outreach & Community Relations for the Elakha Alliance, an organization committed to bringing sea otters back to Oregon! The Zooquarium Podcast debuted in January 2026 and participation is always welcome! Kids of all ages are encouraged to submit their very own questions about animals and their habitats. Information on how to submit is at thezooquarium.com/podcast. It's art! It's educational! IT'S IMAGUCATIONAL!
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More from The Zooquarium Podcast
In the Season 1 Finale Bonus, Mike and Chanel continue their conversation with squid expert/muralist, Dr. Sarah McAnulty. They talk more about squid ink art, squid with built-in puppets, Skype A Scientist, and MORE! Sarah McAnulty is a squid biologist and street artist working to connect people with wildlife through art. She collaborates with neighborhood groups and local artists to create murals on philly biodiversity, and hosts events that bring science and art together to encourage environmental action. Her "Squid facts" sticker and wheatpaste project has reached over 186,000 people with facts about squid and cuttlefish since 2018. Be sure to visit thezooquarium.com/podcast to download quizzes, activity sheets, and bonus materials, upload YOUR art, and submit YOUR animal questions! RECOMMENDED: WATCH this episode on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Spotify! Learn more about Sarah Check out Skype a Scientist Shop the Squid Facts online store Shop the Mike Bennett Studios store Shop the Mike Bennett Studios store Follow us on Instagram: @thezooquarium Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikebennettart Follow Mike on TikTok: @mikebennettart Subscribe to the Mike Bennett Studios YouTube Channel Follow Chanel on Instagram: @pschanel Learn about The Elakha Alliance: elakhaalliance.org
Patrick asks: How Much Ink Can A Squid Hold? What a GREAT question for our SEASON ONE FINALE EPISODE! Luckily, Mike and Chanel are joined by Sarah McAnulty, an artist/squid expert to answer Patrick's question. Sarah McAnulty is a squid biologist and street artist working to connect people with wildlife through art. She collaborates with neighborhood groups and local artists to create murals on philly biodiversity, and hosts events that bring science and art together to encourage environmental action. Her "Squid facts" sticker and wheatpaste project has reached over 186,000 people with facts about squid and cuttlefish since 2018. Be sure to visit thezooquarium.com/podcast to download quizzes, activity sheets, and bonus materials, upload YOUR art, and submit YOUR animal questions! RECOMMENDED: WATCH this episode on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Spotify! Learn more about Sarah Check out Skype a Scientist Shop the Squid Facts online store Shop the Mike Bennett Studios store Follow us on Instagram: @thezooquarium Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikebennettart Follow Mike on TikTok: @mikebennettart Subscribe to the Mike Bennett Studios YouTube Channel Follow Chanel on Instagram: @pschanel Learn about The Elakha Alliance: elakhaalliance.org
Mike and Chanel continue their conversation with Chris Ballew, the brains behind Caspar Babypants and lead singer of The Presidents of the United States of America. They go deeper into Chris's music, inspiration, influence, and close things out with a fun Weird Al story. Chris sings about the animal kingdom on his children's albums under the name Caspar Babypants and in his music for grown-ups with The Presidents of the United States of America. Chris also releases albums under his own name that can be found on all streaming platforms. Be sure to visit thezooquarium.com/podcast to download quizzes, activity sheets, and bonus materials, upload YOUR art, and submit YOUR animal questions! RECOMMENDED: WATCH this episode on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Spotify! Visit Chris's website Learn about Chris on Wikipedia Listen to Caspar Babypants • Spotify | Apple Music Listen to The Presidents of the United States of America • Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Listen to Chris Ballew's solo recordings • Spotify | Apple Music Follow Chris/PUSA on Instagram: @pusaband Shop the Mike Bennett Studios store Follow us on Instagram: @thezooquarium Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikebennettart Follow Mike on TikTok: @mikebennettart Subscribe to the Mike Bennett Studios YouTube Channel Follow Chanel on Instagram: @pschanel Learn about The Elakha Alliance: elakhaalliance.org
Gabriella asks: Why Do Bookworms Eat Books? That's such a fascinating question. It also makes us wonder, what isa bookworm?? Mike and Chanel get to the bottom of Gabriella's question with iconic musician Chris Ballew. Chris sings about bookworms and the entire animal kingdom on his children's albums under the name Caspar Babypants and in his music for grown-ups with The Presidents of the United States of America. Chris also releases albums under his own name that can be found on all streaming platforms. Be sure to visit thezooquarium.com/podcast to download quizzes, activity sheets, and bonus materials, upload YOUR art, and submit YOUR animal questions! RECOMMENDED: WATCH this episode on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Spotify! Visit Chris's website Learn about Chris on Wikipedia Listen to Caspar Babypants • Spotify | Apple Music Listen to The Presidents of the United States of America • Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Listen to Chris Ballew's solo recordings • Spotify | Apple Music Follow Chris/PUSA on Instagram: @pusaband Shop the Mike Bennett Studios store Follow us on Instagram: @thezooquarium Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikebennettart Follow Mike on TikTok: @mikebennettart Subscribe to the Mike Bennett Studios YouTube Channel Follow Chanel on Instagram: @pschanel Learn about The Elakha Alliance: elakhaalliance.org
Mike and Chanel continue their conversation with Dr. Jann Vendetti, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County's Associate Curator of Malacology (AKA Snail & Slug expert). They discuss the difference between snails and slugs, the fascinating world of mollusk teeth, and GIGANTIC members of the snail & slug family. Dr. Jann Vendetti is the Associate Curator of Malacology (Mollusks) and The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County's Twila Bratcher Chair in Malacological Research. She is a founding member of the Urban Nature Research Center. Jann's focus is on collections-based research and the Snails and slugs Living in Metropolitan Environments (SLIME) project, championing the important role of community science to understanding urban-living biodiversity. Be sure to visit thezooquarium.com/podcast to download quizzes, activity sheets, and bonus materials, upload YOUR art, and submit YOUR animal questions! RECOMMENDED: WATCH this episode on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Spotify! Learn more about Jann Vendetti Follow The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County on Instagram: @nhmla Shop the Mike Bennett Studios store Follow us on Instagram: @thezooquarium Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikebennettart Follow Mike on TikTok: @mikebennettart Subscribe to the Mike Bennett Studios YouTube Channel Follow Chanel on Instagram: @pschanel Learn about The Elakha Alliance: elakhaalliance.org