Here Are 4 of the Best Animal Education Shows on YouTube
By: Cora Walker
Tags: Animals, STEM, YouTube, Conservation, Education

Photo by Waldemar Brandt from Pexels

Curiosity and joy in the natural world is something to be encouraged, no matter our age. But unless you’re an animal lover lucky enough to make studying them your profession, many of us find it hard to keep our encyclopedia of animal facts up to date. Do you enjoy going to the zoo, or do you have a kiddo that’s always making their plastic dinosaurs fight? Have you ever wondered what “cold-blooded” means, or why cats have slit pupils?

Many of us want to learn more about the creatures that we share the planet with, even if we’re not staying up to date with the latest scientific papers. Fortunately, animal education has made the move to YouTube and is more accessible than ever before. From adventurous documentaries to friendly, vlog-style info sharing, here are 4 channels you should be watching right now if you want to know more about creatures that walk, fly, crawl, and swim.

Brave Wilderness

Brave Wilderness is a high-energy tour of wildlife everywhere.

If you like animals and YouTube is your primary edutainment, Brave Wilderness has likely already appeared unto your feed. You probably saw a detailed thumbnail of a strange-looking animal, host Nathaniel “Coyote” Peterson in a state of exaggerated distress, and an eye-catching title like “STUNG by a BULLET ANT!”

The general format will be familiar to people who grew up on Animal Planet shows like The Crocodile Hunter and Going Wild With Jeff Corwin. If that’s you, this show might just carry a hefty dose of nostalgia. The host goes on location and gets an animal up close for the cameras, sharing key insights about history and biology before calling to attention any conservation concerns. Finally, the crew releases the guest back into the wild, probably a little dazed from all the bright lights. However, in contrast to his predecessors but in the tradition of the YouTube generation, Coyote Peterson will sometimes purposefully take bites on film from centipedes, snapping turtles, and — most famously — painful stinging insects.

It’s full of a little more theater than some of the other entries on the list, but Peterson’s entertainment factor is high. This one is also a clear juggernaut with 17.9 million subscribers, as well as multiple series, hosts, and (during normal times) live shows across the country.

Animalogic

Animalogic brings a classic documentary style into the meme-era.

Animalogic is a clever, short-form documentary series focused on zoology and biodiversity. It’s jam packed with art, science, beautiful footage, and a sprinkling of memes for good measure. Episodes have titles like “Wombats Look Like Real Life Ewoks” and “Tigers: Absolute Units,” but every 7–15 minute video is packed full of information about all kinds of wonderful, unique, or just plain bizarre critters.

Host Danielle Dufault brings her skills as a scientific artist to the forefront, and Animalogic is brightened by her passion for both biology and illustration. Animalogic has a more classic educational format, with Dufault rarely getting animals on camera or handling them herself. Instead, every episode features a clear narration over images and footage of the subject. B-roll is a combination of beautiful film from wildlife videographers, researchers, and shots collected by the Animalogic crew when they are able to go on location. Older episodes also feature progress shots of Dufault creating a digital drawing of the animal in question as she talks. Whether she’s talking about “wombat combat” or explaining just what are platypuses, anyway, this show is an informative delight.

PBS Eons

The PBS Eons hosts are always careful to talk about controversies and disagreements in the scientific community.

Sometimes we have a passion and curiosity about animals that share the world with us now, but also an interest in biology of the distant past. PBS Eons does not exclusively talk about ancient animal life, but evolutionary biology is a frequent series topic along with geology, chemistry, and anthropology. With each episode generally clocking in at 5–12 minutes, it’s a quick and painless way to learn about megalodon, giant sea scorpions, and — of course — dinosaurs.

Hosts come from across the scientific education and internet sphere. The show features Hank Green, Kallie Moore, and Blake de Pastino, who are all confident, clear educators afraid of neither extinct terrestrial theropods nor corny science puns (geologists might say it makes for gneiss viewing). PBS has also invested in amazing art and illustrations for the series, showing how lost worlds can come to life with a pen stroke.

Eons reminds us where we’ve coming from, asks where we’re going, and leaves us hoping scientists may finally uncover enough to learn if Raptorex was its own genus or not.

Snake Discovery

Emily and Ed visit a venom lab to explain some of the science behind antivenom.

Snake Discovery is here to ask the question, “Snakes. Why wouldn’t it be snakes?”

Starring zoologist and educator Emily Roberts, this vlog-style channel discusses everything from the care and keeping of reptiles as pets to issues facing cold-blooded wildlife. As experienced animal caretakers, both Emily and her husband Ed share essential information for anyone interested in keeping snakes, lizards, and amphibians as a hobby. All the while, Emily works to demystify animals that many people consider a bit creepy and a little crawly.

Emily has a fun, casual on-screen personality even as she fearlessly handles striking bullsnakes and cuts open leathery eggs. Viewers will learn about the lives and needs of herpetofauna (or “herps”) of all kinds, and the show works as an introduction to biological sciences like zoology, genetics, and ecology in a practical setting. Though most episodes are filmed in Emily’s house with animals from her collection, she has also done field trips to venom labs, filmed animals in the wild, and shown what a day at a reptile show is like.