Tooth & Claw: True Stories of Animal ...

True stories of the most extreme wild animal attacks ever documented, told and explained by Wes Larson, a wildlife biologist and animal behavior expert. Wes is joined by his brother Jeff and their mutual friend Mike, and in each episode the three pour over the details of animals attacks and explain how listeners can avoid these kinds of dangerous encounters, and learn a new appreciation for the wild things of the world

Science
Nature
True Crime
51
Polar Bear Attack - Matt Dyer and the Weaponize...
In 2013, Matt Dyer ventured out to northern Canada hoping to spot a polar bear. He ended up getting an up-close view of one, and it turned into a fight for his life.
98 min
52
Tooth & Claw Down Under - News Stories Featurin...
The Tooth & Claw guys are on a trip to Australia, and so thought it appropriate to cover some of the recent animal attack headlines to hit the news in the Land Down Under. It turns out it's been a busy couple of months for the local sharks.
67 min
53
Tiger Shark Attack - The Shark Arm Murder Case
Wes covers the too-wild-to-be-made up case of one James "Jimmy" Smith, the man who found himself a little too deep in the organized crime scene of New South Wales, Australia, and at least a part of him a lot too deep in the belly of a tiger shark.
85 min
54
Wolverine Attack - Blood in the Snow
Wes gives a rundown on an extremely rare encounter that one man claims to have had with a wolverine, and details why it may or may not have even happened at all. He then invents a new word for wolverine, and it goes over pretty well with Jeff and Mike.
82 min
55
The 1994 Vancouver Island Cougar Attack - The 2...
Wes summons just enough focus and strength to deliver one final episode before the year ends, telling the story of a bloody encounter that 7-year-old Kyle Musselman had with a cougar on his way to school. The guys end the episode by talking about all their favorite things from 2023, and Wes finally commits to something we've all been asking for going into 2024.
103 min
56
The Zanesville Massacre
Wes recounts the tragic events that took place on October 18, 2011 in Zanesville, Ohio wherein a troubled man with a rapidly expanding collection of exotic animals takes matters into his own hands in a moment of desperation. Trigger Warning for anyone dealing with suicidal thoughts. Reach out to someone if you are struggling, you are loved.
101 min
57
When Man Bites Back - News Stories Including A ...
The Tooth & Claw gang discuss recent animal attack news headlines, including a man who wandered a little too far into a crocodile's billabong, the first elk fatality in Arizona state history, and much more. They then round the episode out by putting a bunch of characters from Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter into hypothetical cage matches.
90 min
58
The Dancing Bear Attack in Chugach State Park
In 1995, Chugach State Park in Alaska turned into the site of a couple of violent bear encounters. Wes details two seperate attacks that happened that year, one with a (kind of) happy ending, and another that ended in tragedy.
79 min
59
Defying Death with the Help of a Sea Creature
Jeff tells the story of one young man's close brush with death and the unlikely hero that saved him. Content warning, this episode contains talk of sensitive topics, including suicide. If you are struggling with these kinds of thoughts, please reach out to someone for help, or call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. We love you all!
78 min
60
Moto Lions
Jeff leads another instant classic subscriber episode, this time about a strange period of time when motorcycles and lions were mixed to the great delight and sometimes horror of the audience. The guys then talk about their favorite motorcycle moments, what has made them cry most recently, and answer some listener questions.
70 min
61
Vampires and Bloodsucking Leeches with Sammy Smart
In a truly audacious move, Wes decides to tell the grossest set of stories that Tooth & Claw has covered yet as we are joined by first-time guest Sammy Smart of the podcast Too Scary; Didn't Watch. If you think you might not have the stomach for the worst of it, feel free to skip as much as you want, we'll totally understand. Timestamp for the content warning: skip from 33:18 to 44:41
85 min
62
Toothie Tales - Gibbons Guarding a Bridge, a Sc...
In the first episode of a new series entitled Toothie Tales, Wes, Jeff, and Mike read a batch of wild animal encounter stories submitted by listeners and discuss them with each other as usual. In a baffling move, Jeff and Mike commit to an uncomfortable visual bit while recording what is primarily an audio form of content.
77 min
63
Brazilian Wandering Spider Bite - Die Hard
Wes prepared something of a horror anthology wherein he shares a few different true tales of spider bite victims, some suffering a cruel and unusual side effect caused by a peculiarly invigorating venom.
83 min
64
A Hawk Drops a Snake on a Woman - News Stories ...
The guys discuss a handful of recent animal attack stories, including a nearly unbelievable sequence of events that left a Texas woman being rushed to the emergency room after a snake was dropped onto her arm by a hawk. Later on, Wes breaks down whether a wolf or a cougar would win in a cage fight.
86 min
65
The Attacks That Inspired Jaws - The 1916 Shark...
The third and final installment of the series has Wes covering what is still described as the "largest scale animal hunt in history" to try and finally put an end to the nightmare. Some bad New Jersey accents are attempted, and Jeff and Mike come up with some inventive methods of how they would have stopped the shark.
106 min
66
The Attacks That Inspired Jaws - The 1916 Shark...
Wes continues the story of the shark attacks that inspired the movie JAWS, and how the mounting terror reached its peak over a two day stretch in the summer of 1916 on the Matawan River.
101 min
67
The Attacks That Inspired Jaws - The 1916 Shark...
Wes decides it time to tell the guys the horrifying story of the shark attacks that occurred off the shores of New Jersey that would go on to inspire the movie Jaws. Jeff and Mike beg Wes to continue right into part 2, a request which Wes does not hesitate for even a millisecond to deny.
99 min
68
Shark Attack in the Red Sea - News Stories Incl...
Wes, Jeff, and Mike cover some more recent animal attack stories, most notably the tragic fatal shark attack that occurred in Egypt, as well as a host of other stories involving unusually aggressive black bears, a renegade sea otter, and more.
99 min
69
Snake Island - The Crowded Home of the Deadly G...
Wes puts on his explorer hat for this episode to see whether Ilha da Queimada Grande, aka Snake Island, would be a good place for the guys to take a group of listeners on a trip. They then discuss what the best and worst movies islands are, and what the worst animal to be stuck on an island with would be.
79 min
70
Grizzly Bear Attack - The Soda Butte Camp Site ...
Wes shares another tragic story of a grizzly bear attack, once again taking place in Yellowstone National Park. Afterwards, the guys talk about their favorite camping scenes from pop culture, and a discussion about recent animal encounters somehow turns into more Transformers talk.
97 min
71
A Black Bear, Tiger Shark and Rattlesnake Bite ...
Jeff leads another episode, this time about a young man who has been attacked by more deadly animals than most. The episode is concluded with a discussion of unlucky characters from pop culture, some fun encounters with animals the guys have had recently, and a small batch of listener questions.
76 min
72
How Animals Perceive the World ft. Kendall Long
The guys are joined by Kendall Long of the podcast Little Curiosities to discuss the ways in which animals perceive the world differently than humans. After that, Kendall is put on the hot seat and answers a batch of hard-hitting animal questions, including what the biggest animal she thinks she could take in a fight is and which of the three T&C hosts she would pick in a Bachelorette competition.
75 min
73
Nature is Metal - News Stories Including Orcas ...
Rick, the man behind the Nature is Metal Instagram account, joins Wes, Jeff, and Mike for an interview, where he talks about which animal he thinks is the most metal, the videos he has seen that have stuck with him the most, and how he got started in creating one of the most popular nature accounts on Instagram. But first, the guys discuss some of the more notable animal attack and encounter news stories from the past couple months.
106 min
74
Amazon Pink River Dolphin Attack - Claire Bye a...
A British woman was on a river tour in Bolivia when she had an encounter with a dolphin that would see her vacation cut short. Meanwhile, Jeff has a lot of thoughts on Transformers, Wes commandeers Mythology Minute, and Mike has a truly esoteric comparison for pink river dolphin ridges.
74 min
75
Mothers Day 2023 Special - One Mom against a Sw...
Wes and Jeff's mom Cindy is back yet again for the annual Mothers Day special, this time to talk about one mother's epic struggle to save her family from a swarm of yellowjackets. A lot more mom-talk ensues as we cover a bunch of mother-related listener questions.
98 min