The race continues! Emma finds herself on her next assignment: Exploring one of America’s famous hiking trails. Which one did our intrepid hero pick? The Appalachian Trail! With much ground to cover, and help from a chance encounter with a certain self-proclaimed “grossologist”, will Emma catch up to Ryan?
Let’s tune in and find out.

Hooray! We’re finally getting somewhere, and it’s all thanks to you guys and your awesome suggestions.
Thank you Earth Rangers Bea, Ben, Emma, Luke and Ingrid for this idea!

Emma’s adventures never end! On today’s trail, she very nearly got lost! But thankfully, she was able to make a new friend who helped her find her way. Who is that?

It was Ms. Mallory!

Whether deep in the jungle or in her very own backyard, Ms. Mallory loves learning about the natural world around her. She travels near and far to share the stories of wild and weird creatures, highlights community-science wildlife projects, and help others make a difference for wildlife too! Did you also know she likes eating bugs for snacks? Forget chocolate and candies! Her podcast “8 Minutes of eww” can turn one’s fear into a fascination for animals and much more.

Thanks to Ms. Mallory’s help, Emma learned a lot about various creepy crawlies. With this information, she was able to impress Number 1 with her super-duper millipede facts. Did you know about the Nannaria swiftae? I for one had no idea that bug was named after Taylor Swift! I wonder… Are there any other cool animals named after musicians?

Besides millipedes, Emma was able to learn a lot about spiders and opossums from her new friends! And before bumping into Ms. Mallory, Emma came across yet another fascinating creature: The Wood Frog. Here is the video she was talking about. Check it out:

Now…We can’t forget about Ryan, especially now that Emma has finally caught up to him!

Ryan went to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.

Thanks to the different elevations at the park, many animals and plants call that place home. In fact, there are SO many different species of insects, plants, trees, birds, and mammals that it was hard to narrow down the ones Ryan sent my way. But one stood out: The Red Salamander.

This tiny critter connects Emma and Ryan’s chosen locations completely. The Appalachian Mountains, where Emma went hiking, is known as a salamander “hotspot”. More than 77 different salamander species can be found there! The Great Smoky Mountains, that Ryan picked, is known as the “Salamander Capital of the World”. What does this mean? Well for one thing: When hiking in both those areas, be careful not to move any rocks as they are important to protect the different species who live under there!

But wait! This is only the beginning. Emma has won her first point in the Quest for the Best, but she’s got still ways to go before she can save her role as host of the podcast. Let’s keep it up! Emma’s next assignment is “to go underground” – so what nearby cave system can she explore? Have any of you gone underground? Drop a comment with some suggestions, and I’ll pass them on to her!

And here is this episode’s listener competition: The first person to type the correct answer to this Trivia question into the comments will win a “keep on ranging” podcast T-shirt for their avatar:

“What class of animals do frogs and salamanders belong to?”

Be the first to guess the correct answer!
Like before, the winner will be announced next episode, after Emma has had a chance to go spelunking!

🎺 Congratulations to Earth Ranger Harry for being the first to comment on the correct answer in the last episode!!  🎺
The solution to the quiz question “What animal is the symbol of the New York State?” is the beaver.
Be sure to check your inbox for the aware code to receive your special t-shirt.

Do you have a great recommendation for a cave that Emma could visit? Let us know in the comments!
Careful – Don’t forget the no airplane rule!

Want to instead try your best with the trivia question? If you don’t have any ideas for either of those, I’m sure Emma would love to hear some cool animal facts to help inspire her! She needs all the trivia she can get to help her win the competition!