The Ecological Bestiary
Welcome to The Ecological Bestiary, the podcast that treats the D&D Monster Manual like a real-world field guide... because the real world is magical too.
Join host Kevin Matteson (PhD in Ecology) and his adventuring party—Mike (Forever DM & Science Teacher), Rachel (Climate Educator), and Cassie (Wildlife Expert)—as they bridge the gap between tabletop roleplaying games and real-world science.
Each expedition, the party tracks down a classic fantasy creature to dissect its fictional ecology and connect it to real-world biology and conservation. How would a Gelatinous Cube actually digest its prey? What real-world fungal networks explain the Myconids?
Whether you are a Dungeon Master looking for richer world-building, a science educator searching for engaging classroom hooks, or a nature lover who enjoys nerd culture, pull up a chair at our tavern.
Grab your dice and your field journal. Keep exploring, because the real world is magical too!
Episodes
6 episodes
The Science of Dragons: Apex Predators & Evolutionary Realities
The air turns bitterly dry, tasting of sulfur and ozone... You feel the heat before you see it, a wave of oppressive warmth that makes your armor feel like an oven... A shadow, vast and terrifying, sweeps across the caldera as a six-ton crea...
The Biology of D&D Myconids: Mycorrhizal Networks & Zombie Fungi
You find the missing goblin scouting party just inside the cave entrance, but something is horribly wrong... pulsing fungal stalks erupt from their eyes and joints.In this episode of The Ecological Bestiary, we journey deep into ...
The Biology of the D&D Gelatinous Cube: Slime Molds & Deep Sea Terrors
You haven't found a ghost. You've walked right into the digestive tract of the dungeon's most efficient janitor...In this episode of The Ecological Bestiary, Kevin Matteson and the party break out their 10-foot poles to investiga...
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D&D Mimics in Real Life: The Biology of Aggressive Mimicry
Beware the chest you open, travelers… it might just bite back.In this episode of The Ecological Bestiary, the entire adventuring party rolls for initiative against one of Dungeons & Dragons’ most iconic and terrifying...
The Biology of the D&D Displacer Beast: Big Cats & Light Refraction
The twilight woods of the Feywild are unnervingly quiet... A low guttural growl vibrates through the trees to your left... But the growl didn't come from the bush, it came from right behind you!In this episode of The Ecological B...
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The Biology of the D&D Owlbear: Real-World Bears & Owls
An owlbear screech echoes through the dark valley to announce the death of its prey...In this episode of The Ecological Bestiary, we treat the Monster Manual like a field guide to break down the apex predator of the woods: The Ow...
