Hey there, friends, and welcome to episode 328 of Just the Zoo of Us. This week, I am joined by

the creator and bird parent behind Apollo and friends for a look into life alongside the

world-famous African gray parrot. You may have seen their videos on social media showing off

Apollo's incredibly impressive vocabulary, answering questions, and even

speaking in full sentences, which have earned the bird a spot in the Guinness Book of World

Records in 2025, on top of all the pistachios, of course. We discuss animal cognition at what

makes parrots such great models for animal intelligence, the brain soup machine,

birdproofing a home, parrots video calling each other, and so much more. Also, there are a couple

of references to specific scientific studies during the episode, and those will be linked

in the episode description. Just the Zoo of Us presents Apollo, the African Grey Parrot, with Dalton Mason. Hey there, everybody, it's Ellen Weatherford with Just the Zoo of Us, your favorite animal review

podcast. I am beyond excited, so hyped because this week we have a brand new friend that we're talking

to, someone you may have seen, you may have heard his voice, you may have seen him and his family members. If your

algorithm looks anything like mine, they might be all over your social media feeds and stuff.

We have Dalton Mason, the producer behind Apollo the parent. Say hi, Dalton. Hello.

Dalton, I'm so happy to talk to you because I have watched so many of your videos with Apollo,

the African gray parrot.

You guys are so charming and delightful together.

I feel like it's cool to see someone have, like, great chemistry with a bird.

You know what I mean?

Yeah, birds are, they're so social,

but they're not mammals. So it's like a lot of the body language is not as intuitive as it is

with like a cat or a dog, especially. Because we've seen a lot of people interact with Apollo,

...