Sphinx Secrets & Oddball Animals

The Box of Oddities

John Elliott and Kat Walls

True Crime, Society & Culture, Comedy

4.9 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 19 November 2025

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What lies beneath the Great Sphinx of Giza—and why does it continue to fuel global obsession? In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Jethro uncovers the strange history, disputed radar scans, ancient legends, and modern controversies surrounding the Sphinx. From Edgar Cayce’s “Hall of Records” prophecy to seismic anomalies beneath the limestone, this deep dive explores why some experts insist it’s just geology while others believe an untouched vault—or even a lost city—still waits beneath those ancient paws. Then, Kat flips the script on the animal kingdom with a celebration of Earth’s rule-breakers—creatures that defy everything we expect from their species. Meet the herbivorous jumping spider, the underwater-breathing diving bell spider, mudskippers that drown in water, axolotls that never grow up, the egg-laying electrified platypus, the “Jesus Christ” lizard that walks on water, the immortal jellyfish, and more. These misfit marvels prove evolution has a wonderfully weird sense of humor. If you love ancient mysteries, bizarre biology, strange science, and the delightfully unexpected, this episode delivers maximum oddity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	What follows may not be suitable for all audiences.
0:03.0	Listener discretion is advised.
0:06.1	The world is full of stories.
0:10.1	Stories of mysteries.
0:12.7	Of curiosities.
0:16.0	Of oddities.
0:18.7	Join Cat and Jethro Gilligan Toth for the strange, the bizarre, the unexpected,
0:27.2	as they lift the lid and cautiously peer inside the box of oddities.
0:34.5	So if you don't mind me saying you look a little bit exhausted, are you okay? I mean,
0:38.7	that was kind of a whirlwind adventure for you. It was, it was a very last minute. What is the
0:45.6	term that you use sometimes? It makes me laugh. Turn and burn? Turn and burn. Yes. But totally
0:52.6	worth it. I went up to Maine for a Brewer High School performance of 9 to 5.
0:59.9	That's what I love about you. You're willing to suffer for art.
1:03.1	That's right.
1:04.1	When it comes to fine theater, you're willing to travel for that.
1:08.7	It went well, though. You saw friends and family.
1:12.6	It did. I got to rake some leaves, which is one of my favorite fall activities. I used to love raking leaves when I was a kid and
1:18.1	then, you know, jump in the pile of leaves until we got a dog. And yeah, then it, you know,
1:24.3	you really didn't want to jump into anything you raked off the lawn. Kind of lose its charm. Doesn't smell as good either. Nope. No. I mean, I love the smell of autumn leaves, but not in that condition. Nope. No. Well, I'm glad you're back. Thank you. Me too. And I got a story for you. I can't wait. Something I really want to go see
1:45.9	before I kick it is the pyramids and the sphinx. Sure. In Egypt.
1:52.6	Understandably so. I can only imagine what it would be like standing in front of the sphinx.
1:58.1	It's got to be an unsettling feeling because we really don't know the history.
	...

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