Why spend all that effort chasing after prey when you could just convince them to come to you? This episode, we explore the many and varied ways that predators lure their prey, from dangling lights to strategically-placed bait. And we’ll discuss the evolutionary pros and cons of this life strategy, and how all sorts of animals – and plants – make the most of it.

In the news: big Jurassic bugs, big Jurassic belemnites, ocean amphibians, and aquatic anatomy.

Time Markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:05:35 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:38:50 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:29:25 Patron question: 01:55:20

Submit your question for the End of the Year Q&A! https://forms.gle/3UTrTy1R34QZPEDN9

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/

Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/

Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org

Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Welcome … to Cute-E!

During our Spook-E series, we speculate on the evolution of monsters from myth and popular media, but we leave out fiction’s more adorable creatures. In Cute-E, we choose cuddlier critters and discuss how they – or something like them – could evolve here on Earth, pulling inspiration from real-world species across our planet’s history. This year’s theme is Aliens!

This episode, we’re overrun with cuteness! What evolutionary history could lead to pesky swarms of irresistibly adorable fuzzballs? Our creatures to create this time: Tribbles.

Join the Common Descent Discord server for more Spook-E discussion! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

More ways to connect with us: https://commondescentpodcast.com/

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org.

Here on our blue-and-green planet, the green is plants. This episode, Aly joins us again to explore the beginnings of this all-important group of life. We’ll discuss which ancestors gave rise to true plants, what the fossil record tells us about the timing of this momentous event, and the array of key adaptations that allowed plants to join their fungus and animal cousins up on dry land.

In the news: mosasaurs, more mosasaurs, Jurassic mammals, and horned dinosaurs.

Time Markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:05:25 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:47:35 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:16:05 Patron question: 02:05:35

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/

Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/

Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org

Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0