Welcome to Paleo Bites, the weekly podcast hosted by Matthew Donald where we make dumb jokes, reference pop culture, derail like crazy, and oh yeah, discuss and rate dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. Each episode Matthew and a rotating set of guest co-hosts talk about a different genus of primeval critter, explain basic stats, exchange plenty of banter, barely fact-check, and at the end, rate the creature one out of 65 million for any reason, including but not limited to sexiness, mana, and dexterity. So join Matthew and his friends as we embark on this prehistoric odyssey and review the dinosaurs from Aardonyx to Zuul as well as many other extinct beasts, entertaining folks while undoubtedly making serious paleontologists weep. Musical sting by Magnus Ringblom from Epidemic Sound.
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(image source: https://a-z-animals.com/animals/polacanthus/ (https://a-z-animals.com/animals/polacanthus/))
Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Ben O’Regan discuss Polocanthus… barely. Just a headsup, there’s a lot of tangents in this one, and there’s even more in the unedited version, which you can find on the Patreon. Fun times! This show is so professional. From the Early Cretaceous, this 16-foot nodosaurid had multiple spikes; many, one might say. Honestly, what else did you want to hear about Polacanthus? Its name sums it up pretty well, I’d say! Be happy with what you got.
Want to further support the show? Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdXnbmbdvKBVoUexcFBgMNQ (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdXnbmbdvKBVoUexcFBgMNQ) for ad-free episodes, and sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/MatthewDonald (https://www.patreon.com/matthewdonald?fan_landing=true). Also, you can get links to follow Matthew Donald and purchase his books at https://linktr.ee/matthewdonald (https://linktr.ee/matthewdonald). His latest book, Teslamancer, just released August 27th! And mild spoiler alert... there are kind of dinosaurs in it... mwuahahaha.
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3 Feb 2026
Mapusaurus, the Lizard of the Earth
(image source: https://paleontologyworld.com/sites/default/files/styles/Mapusaurus_0.png (https://paleontologyworld.com/sites/default/files/styles/Mapusaurus_0.png))
Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Stephen Curro discuss Mapusaurus, a dinosaur with a name that sounds like Borat describing a dinosaur made out of his crap. “Mah poo saurus!” Except it’s actually named for the indigenous Mapuche people in South America, so stop making crass jokes like that, you racist. From the Late Cretaceous, this 40-foot carcharodontosaurid had some pretty good evidence of social behavior, even perhaps pack-hunting. Because the only thing that would be worse than encountering one of the biggest meat-eating land animals of all time is encountering a gang of his closest gym buddies. They’d all start a podcast, and it’d be horribly racist, much like the joke at the beginning of this description.
Want to further support the show? Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdXnbmbdvKBVoUexcFBgMNQ (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdXnbmbdvKBVoUexcFBgMNQ) for ad-free episodes, and sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/MatthewDonald (https://www.patreon.com/matthewdonald?fan_landing=true). Also, you can get links to follow Matthew Donald and purchase his books at https://linktr.ee/matthewdonald (https://linktr.ee/matthewdonald). His latest book, Teslamancer, just released August 27th! And mild spoiler alert... there are kind of dinosaurs in it... mwuahahaha.
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27 Jan 2026
Hydrodamalis gigas, the Steller's Sea Cow
(image source: https://www.britannica.com/animal/sea-cow (https://www.britannica.com/animal/sea-cow))
Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Joel Rick discuss Hydrodamalis gigas, a manatee but big. Well, technically it was more closely related to dugongs, but y’all don’t know what those are and manatees get more clicks. From the Late Pleistocene to the Early Holocene, this 30-foot sirenian was a big player in the Ice Age and made it all the way to the eighteenth century… which means you probably can guess what happened next and why it’s extinct. Damn humans. I’m ashamed to be one of them. Maybe AI actually should take over the world…
Want to further support the show? Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdXnbmbdvKBVoUexcFBgMNQ (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdXnbmbdvKBVoUexcFBgMNQ) for ad-free episodes, and sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/MatthewDonald (https://www.patreon.com/matthewdonald?fan_landing=true). Also, you can get links to follow Matthew Donald and purchase his books at https://linktr.ee/matthewdonald (https://linktr.ee/matthewdonald). His latest book, Teslamancer, just released August 27th! And mild spoiler alert... there are kind of dinosaurs in it... mwuahahaha.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Who has been a guest on Paleo Bites
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Allen Brooks
Jaymes Buckman
Toby
Stephen Curro
Laura Owsley
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
27,820
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.5 / 5
16 ratings
Spotify
4.7 / 5
17 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 81 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
96
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
90
Contact Paleo Bites
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Paleo Bites
Who hosts Paleo Bites?
Matthew Donald host the show. Published by Matthew Donald.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Paleo Bites take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
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