diff --git a/bin/zcat b/bin/zcat
index ebf64b7d..ae11ce84 100755
--- a/bin/zcat
+++ b/bin/zcat
@@ -1,15 +1,22 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python3
+#!/bin/bash
 
+# On Darwin: try gzcat if available, otherwise use Python
+
+if [[ $(uname -s) = Darwin ]] ; then
+   which gzcat &> /dev/null
+   if [[ $? -eq 0 ]] ; then 
+      exec gzcat $@
+   else
+
+      exec python3 << EOF
 import sys
 import gzip
-
-# Check if a file path has been provided
-if len(sys.argv) < 2:
-    print("Usage: zcat <filename>")
-    sys.exit(1)
-
-# Open the gzip file
-with gzip.open(sys.argv[1], "rt") as f:
-    # Read the contents of the file and print to standard output
+with gzip.open("$1", "rt") as f:
     print(f.read())
+EOF
+   fi
+else
+   command=$(which -a zcat | grep -v 'qp2/bin/' | head -1)
+   exec command
+fi