Snake Talk

Latest Episodes:

80 | Sea Snakes with Dr. Heatwole Jun 16, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Jenkins sits down with Dr. Harold Heatwole, who has arguably spent more time among sea snakes than any snake expert in the world and literally wrote the book on sea snakes. They discuss interesting aspects of sea snake ecology and natural history ranging from taxonomy, biogeography, habitats, feeding, adaptations to marine life, venom, and diet. Throughout the discussion, Dr. Heatwole weaves in stories of adventure diving with these amazing species. You are not going to want to miss this 88 year old legend in snake biology.

Connect with Dr. Heatwole at NC State University.

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Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

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If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.

79 | The Future of Snake Ecology and Conservation in the Northwest Jun 02, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Dr. Jenkins moderates a panel of snake experts from the Pacific Northwest. The panelists include Lisa Hallock, Herpetologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife; Dede Olson, Research Ecologist with the Forest Service; Lameace Hussein, former WA resident and current PhD student; and Dr. Steve Mackessy, Professor, Northern Colorado University. Each panelist focuses on a particular area of future research and conservation, discussion areas include Natural History, Snake Fungal Disease, Education/Outreach, and Venomics.

Connect with the snake experts at Northwest Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation.

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This episode is also available on YouTube!

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

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If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.

78 | San Francisco Gartersnakes with Dr. Halstead May 19, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Jenkins sits down with Dr. Brian Halstead to discuss one of the most beautiful snakes on the planet. Brian is a researcher with the United States Geological Survey in California where he works on multiple species of gartersnakes. They talk about San Francisco Gartersnake natural history covering a range of topics including movement, habitat, reproduction, diet and much more. They also talk about their status, threats, and the research and conservation projects being used to recover the species. Finally, they spend some time discussing another California Gartersnake, the Giant Gartersnake, discussing their interesting connection to hydrology and the related efforts to recover the species.

Connect with Dr. Halstead at the US Geological Survey.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

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Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

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If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.

77 | Everything Bog Turtles May 05, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Jenkins sits down with Jason Tesauro, who runs an independent company doing a great deal of work with rare turtles. They start by talking about four freshwater turtles in the Northeast that are of conservation concern including the interesting aspects of how they typically occupy different habitats within the same landscapes. They get into Bog Turtles, talking about their distribution and status, movements, habitat use, and reproduction. Finally, they talk about the threats Bog Turtles face and the work that partners are doing to try and recover their populations.

Connect with Jason on his website.

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Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

Shop Snake Talk merch.

If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.

76 | A New Reptile Conservation Center at Riverbanks Zoo Apr 21, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Jenkins sits down with Sean Foley, Curator of Herpetology at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. They talk about career trajectories in the zoo field and then give an introduction to Riverbanks. They spend time talking about the new Darnell W and Susan F Boyd Aquarium and Reptile Conservation Center at the zoo including going through many exhibits and a wide range of species from anacondas to timber rattlesnakes. Riverbanks works on a wide variety of conservation projects but has a special focus on the conservation of local amphibians. They discuss Riverbanks involvement in Gopher Frog conservation in South Carolina.

Connect with Sean at Riverbanks Zoo.

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Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

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If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.

75 | Southeastern Reptile Rescue: From Film to Adopting Out Snakes Apr 07, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Jenkins sits down with Jason Clark, President of Southeastern Reptile Rescue. They start discussing his interesting transition from being a police officer to running one of the most successful snake companies in existence. Jason has been in many movies including series on Netflix and Animal Planet. They talk about Southern Reptile Rescue and their work in outreach, rescue, aversion training, working on transitioning rattlesnake roundups, and their Youtube channel. Make sure you stick around for his snake story (teaser: Sir Anthony Hopkins is involved!).

Connect with Jason at Southeastern Reptile Rescue.

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Note: Our apologies for the intermittent interference on Jason's audio - it becomes unfortunately frequent between the 20-minute and 40-minute mark, but is much improved towards the end!

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If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.

74 | Snake Research at the Jones Ecological Research Center Mar 24, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Jenkins sits down with Dr. Lora Smith to talk about her research program at the Jones Ecological Research Center. They start by discussing her interest in tortoises and her adventures studying one of the most endangered turtles in the world in Madagascar. They then talk about Ichauway and the Jones Center which was created by Mr. Woodruff, former CEO of Coca-Cola. Lora’s research includes long-term monitoring of upland species and many focal animal studies. They discuss research projects on species such as Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes, Florida Pine Snakes, and Timber Rattlesnakes.

Connect with Lora at The Jones Center at Ichauway.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

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Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

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If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.

73 | Bob Zappalorti: from Kauffeld to Pine Snakes Mar 10, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Jenkins sits down with Bob Zappalorti to talk about his long career in herpetology. They start with his early days working at the Staten Island Zoo and talk about his adventures in the field with Carl Kauffeld. They discuss his consulting company, Herpetological Associates, and the various snake and turtle projects they have been working on throughout the Northeast. Finally, they go in depth on his decades-long research program on Northern Pine Snakes in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, discussing everything from nesting to the artificial hibernacula they use to monitor them. This episode is full of herpetological history and in-depth knowledge on multiple snake species.

Connect with Bob at Herpetological Associates.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

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Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

Shop Snake Talk merch.

If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.

72 | The Curator of Herpetology at Zoo Atlanta Feb 24, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Jenkins sits down with Robert Hill, Curator of Herpetology at Zoo Atlanta. They discuss his path to getting to where he is today and about how people can get into working in the zoo field. They talk about Zoo Atlanta including their reptile facility and the animals you might expect to encounter there. Finally they discuss the wide array of education and conservation projects the Herpetology Program works on, including declining amphibians, Eastern Indigo Snakes, and Guatemalan Beaded Lizards.

Connect with Robert at Zoo Atlanta.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

Shop Snake Talk merch.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

Shop Snake Talk merch.

If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.

71 | Global Reptile Status Assessment Feb 10, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Jenkins sits down with Neil Cox and Phil Bowles from IUCN to talk about the recently completed Global Reptile Assessment. They talk about the need for the assessment and go in detail on one of the primary tools, the IUCN Red List. They also discuss the assessment process and how they gather and analyze the information to determine each species status. The results show that a significant percentage of reptile species are threatened with extinction but also that there are many species that are data deficient and cannot be assessed. Finally they compared the results of the reptile assessment to those of other wildlife groups such as amphibians, mammals, and birds.

Connect with Neil and Phil on IUCN or at IUCN Red List.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

Shop Snake Talk merch.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

Shop Snake Talk merch.

If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.