Comfort Creatures

We may have missed October, but that doesn't mean we can skip all of the seasonal spooky traditions! This week Alexis and Ella discuss creatures that suck blood! Did you know there are more than just bats and mosquitos? There's strange blood sucking birds and even an undersea bloodsucker! We also get into pet updates and have a long discussion on the mystery that is the Tooth Fairy. TUNE IN! Or else...

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Hello! We're back! We missed you! We had a packed October and this week we though it fitting to fill you all in on everything we were up to in October! Featuring: sheep, lots of folklore, and more sheep!

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Yes, you read that title correctly! It's a good ol' fashioned animal trivia episode! Alexis learned some surprising new information about dinosaurs, so Ella decided to find a bunch of animal facts to match! Also, we will be going on a hiatus for the month of October, but we promise to come back with more delightful animal stories! We will miss you! See you in November!

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As mentioned last week, Ella and Alexis have been very busy and it's been tricky to find a time to record, however we didn't want to leave you with no Comfort Creatures at all! Fortunately, we had a couple ready pet goes we've been saving for such an occasion! So, please enjoy these excellent Ready Pet Go's from Beth (feat poison dart frogs and more) and Paige (feat Dash and Frodo)!

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Time flies when you're having fun! We're so proud to have hit the 200th episode mark! This week, Ella explains why Simba has been living his dream life in a small-dog filled apartment AND why he is now a bed dog! We also learn all about SNAILS and the fascinating markers they serve in history. Thank you to everyone for listening to us talk about critters for two hundred entire episodes!

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Ella's wonderful grandmother passed away recently and she was absolutely one of us. She loved dogs (especially Simba), gossip, and flamingos. So, it only seemed appropriate to learn about the pink wonders of the bird world, flamingos. We learn about their color, their preference to stand on one foot, and much more! Tune in!

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Better late than never! Can you believe we nearly missed the Jimothy train? But don't worry we're on it now! Jimothy is a perfectly squished raccoon that is taking the Pacific Northwest by storm! Then, in the spirit of Seattle, Ella does a deep dive into some of the most fun Cryptids in the area! Who might Jimothy get breakfast with? We're leaning towards Batsquash. We also have a wonderful Ready Pet Go from Alex and BB!

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They're cute! They have quality tails! And they come in a myriad of colors and sizes! That's right, this week is all about squirrels! We learn about them, we learn about why humans love them, and we even learn a bit of Nrose Mythology about them! It's squirrel week! Tune in!

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This week Simba is living it up as an apartment dog straight out of a Disney movie and Alexis is gathering animals like Snow White. Alexis and Ella discovered they both watched Sheep Detectives and they both were SHOCKED by how much they loved it so they're taking the opportunity to dig into the film and learn about our new woolly friends!

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That's right, you read the title correctly and that is in fact the name of a REAL animal! The Pink Fairy Armadillo is a tiny, bright pink armadillo that Ella and Alexis learn all about this week! Plus, Ella struggles with flying ants and we have a wonderful Ready Pet BUG from Chelsea and Twigbert!

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Last week we talked about some BIG fantasy creatures, but this week we thought we should balanace it out and talk about some TINY real animals! We've got tiny dragons, tiny bats, and even tiny marsupials We also have a fantastic Ready Pet Go from Emily about Milo, Bucky, and Missy Elliott!

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Okay, it must be done. House of the Dragon season three has begun and as this is the closest thing to sports we like, we're taking this opportunity to do a re-cap of all of the dragons in the show! Note - we are discussing everything before season 3 episode 1! No spoilers for the new season, don't worry! Put your dragon saddles on and tune in!

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The fashion industry is known to be cuthroat, competitive, and difficult to thrive in, but luckily that is not the case for one lucky cat at the top of the fashion world! Choupette is one of the world's richest cats and this week we learn all about the history of fashion's hottest feline and other wealthy pets! Plus a wild encounter Ready Pet Go from Reed! Tune in!

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To honor the recent passing of David Hockney, we thought it was the perfect time to do an Animal Artist segment on the iconic painter. Hockney is known for his bright colors and maximalist paintings, but did you know he also had two dogs that he was absolutely obsessed with? We learn all about his lovely pups, Stabley and Boodgie! Plus, we learn more about "sausage dogs" and why they have such a unique body type!

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What has 8 legs, a colourful tushy and the smoothest moves in Oz? THESE GUYS. This week we're deep-diving on SPARKLEMUFFINS. Queens of the arachnids, new addition to the peacock spider roster and capable of outjumping the Hulk. We also have a voicemail Ready Pet Go (very exciting) from Meli and Pooty Tang!

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This week Ella and Alexis learn all about the Nightjar! After hearing one while camping, Alexis decided she needed to learn about this fascinating little bird! Ella has some Nightjar mythology, though we think the bird may protest to a few details of it. We also have a great Ready Pet Go from Lizzie and Norbert!

Send us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at [email protected] and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow us @comfortcreaturespodcast on Instagram! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/PFVQXgMYWB

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It's pinniped week! Seals! Walrus! Sea lions! Oh my! This week we enter the splash zone and learn all about these slippery friends! Some cute, some... less cute! And, of course, some seal mythology!

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After reading a book about possibly murderous animals, Alexis decided she wanted to know if any other animals tend to take on hedonistic behaviors. Namely- do any anials party? And if so, what sort of "drugs" do animals do? Ella then discusses some of the biggest party animals in mythology: the Satyr! We also have a very fun Ready Pet Go from Cassandra!

Don't forget to Ella's NEW book! ANDROMEDA by E.S. MCLEOD!

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We're back after a very exciting period away with SO MUCH NEWS. Ella and Alexis saw each other IRL, Ella met Crumb, Cricket, Millie and Maud and Alexis has a very special announcement that pertains to this week's Comfort Creature. 

We also met ALL of our MaxFun Membership Goals! Thank you ALL so much -- as ever, you're our really comforting creatures!

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It's week two of the Maximum Fun Drive! Who better to carry us through than some of our favorite fantastic horse-like creatures, unicorns and pegasus! That's right, it's a full fantasy creature episode! We learn all about the history and lore behind these majestic creatures! 

Become a Max Fun Member today by going to maximumfun.org/join
OUR MFD2026 Membership GOALS:
72 - The Last Unicorn Read-A-Long!
96 - Wedding Gossip Bonus Episode!
122 - Ella & Alexis IRL BTS!

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Wow, what a week! Not only are we talking about BUGS but it's also the first week of the MAXIMUM FUN DRIVE! Making this a MAXIMUM FUN BUG DRIVE EPISODE! Ella and Alexis gab about their favorite bugs in books, TV, movies, and, of course, the classic debate: Antz or A Bug's Life! 

Become a Max Fun Member today by going to maximumfun.org/join
OUR MFD2026 MEMBERSHIP GOALS:
72 - The Last Unicorn Read-A-Long!
96 - Wedding Gossip Bonus Episode!
122 - Ella & Alexis IRL BTS!

Help support this show and unlock b...

It's MaxFunDrive. And here, for the first time, we give you an exclusive look (well, listen) at the craft of podcasting: presenting Casters on Casters.

Three different coasts are represented in this episode. Recording from Los Angeles is Sequoia Holmes (Black People Love Paramore) on the West Coast of the U.S. Dimitry Pompée (Eurovangelists) joins the conversation from the D.C. area on the East Coast. And nearly 4000 miles east of him, is Ella McLeod (Comfort Creatures) from London. The trio share what it's like behind the scenes, how they got into podcasting, and what t...

We decided not to delay any longer! After learning about the existence of bilbies in last week's episode, we needed to learn more! We learn all about these funny little marsupials and even share a little bilby myth! We also have a great Ready Pet Go from Wayne and Azdaja!

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A very EGGY EP! It's Easter weekend -- or maybe it's Ostara to you -- and we're talking about the source of new life. Big eggs! Small eggs! Strange eggs! Chocolate eggs! Gorgeously decorated eggs! It's going to be eggtremely eggcellent. (Sorry. So sorry.)

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It's April 2nd! And we all know what that means... IT'S NATIONAL FERRET DAY! To celebrate, Alexis has some fun ferret facts to share. Plus, Ella meets some exciting animals in Greece, and we discuss the most recent viral dog video and the drama surrounding it!

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Sorry you missed us last week -- we had a few personal things to attend to, but never fear, spring is springing, and we are BACK. This week we have a sly stowaway, some spy cameras and some excellent follow-up emails and messages from our fictional fish episode! What are your favourite woodland creatures? And what other fictional creatures do you find comforting? Tell us -- we wanna know!

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It's Pisces season and you know wthat that means, it's time to talk about FISH! This week we're not learning about a particualr fish, but instead discussion our favoirte fictional fish and breaking them down by what we think their High School superlative would be! Want to know who won biggest flirt? Most likely to be famous? Worst fish? You must listen to find out! 

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We have a new animal taking the lead in convergent evoluton! The Tenrec is a weird little dude from madagascar that comes in a shocking vartiey of shapes and sizes and colors that it's hard to believe they're all one creature! Then, Ella has some very fun mythology about Changelings!

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A new record may have been set this week! Ella may have cried the most times in an episode telling the story of Punch the Macaque and his plush monkey, but I promise it's not as sad as it sounds! Plus, Crumb gets a haircut that many are calling "bad," Cricket gets groomed for the first time, and we have a great Ready Pet Go from Jeremiah AND a local news story from Erin!

Send us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at [email protected] and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow u...

This week the big news continues! This time it's DOLPHINS with a brand new spongy fashion trend! Plus, thanks to a very helpful coyote-related email, we decided to re-introduce ourselves because it's been a few years! If you're new to the show, this is a great place to start!

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We're back with more "hard boiled reporting!" This week we've got some very exciting local animal news involving a lone grey wolf that many are now calling Beyonce 2 and some brand new beavers in the UK! Plus we have a full fantasy Ready Pet Go from Jordan that we absolitely loved!

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This week we're talking toxins! Prompted by a stressful week with some pesky lilies, Ella and Alexis discuss household plants and food that you may or may not realize are toxic to your pets! Then we discuss animals that are toxic to humans. Did you know there's a poisonous BIRD?! Tune in to learn all about these surprisingly venomous critters!

Send us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at [email protected] and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow us @comfortcreaturespodcast on Instagram! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/PFVQXgMYWB

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Marcy Jarreau is a comedian, a writer, a podcaster, but most importantly, Marcy has THREE cats. Marcy explains how she ended up with Mama, Buster, and Hunny (who may be feral), plus some wild childhood pet stories and even a cat psychic! Tune in!

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This week! The dogs need new harnesses, animals are nannying other animals, and apparently exercise is good for you?! Tune in for all of this and more!

This week! The dogs need new harnesses, animals are nannying other animals, and apparently exercise is good for you?! Tune in for all of this and more!

*Note - this is the corrected version of this epsiode! A previous version was uploaded with the wrong audio! Apologies!

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This week we have a guest! Best-selling author, darling of the internet (and that's REALLY hard to achieve), and Cat Ambassador, Lex Croucher. Lex joins us to discuss their cats Cricket (a popular name, we hear) and Remi, fostering, and further animal misadventures. A new friend of the pod and a featured fav, tune in!

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Happy 2026! Welcome to the year of the Fire Horse! Alexis is having an identity crisis and Ella wants you to remember to work SMART, not HARD... like the fire rat! Also, wedding chat, pet catch-ups and an excellent email from Amanda!

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As 2025 comes to an end, Ella has put together her list of the top animal moments of the year! Featuring Orangutans, Pika, and even some shocked dolphins. Meanwhile, Alexis learns all about her new favorite Christmas pests, the Kallikantzaros! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all! Thanks for listening! 

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What has two massive teeth, a chunky body and a mouth like a hoover? THESE GUYS. Walruses people. In all their blubbery glory. Plus a myth from Greenland about the creation of all our favourite wintery marine creatures. If it's cold where you are, wrap up warm with a hot drink to keep Ella's lurgy at bay -- if it's not cold... well, aren't you lucky?

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To ease you into the holiday season, we've decided to look into Christmas Island and more specifically, some of the really cool creatures that live there. Did you know there are thousands of bright red crabs that live there and cover the island once a year? Did you know about the Brown Booby? Will Ella be able to tell you about the Brown Booby without laughing? Tune in and find out! We also have a wonderful Ready Pet Go from Laura!

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