Tag Archives: reptiles

Episode 118: Pine Snakes, Bog Turtles and more with Bob Zappalorti

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Hi folks! This past June I drove out to Pemberton, New Jersey to talk with Robert Zappalorti. Bob is the founder and executive director of Herpetological Associates Inc. Now these days there are a lot of people working in what I call contract biology, but Bob Zappalorti was the first environmental consultants working on behalf of herps and other creatures. He founded Herpetological Associates back in 1977 and since then, his company has done a great deal of work in not just conserving herps, but also increasing our understanding of their natural histories, population dynamics, and ecological needs. It was truly an honor and privilege to sit down with Bob and talk about all of this.

There were delays getting this episode out, always a bummer, but it does help to sync up a bit with a new book coming out – The Natural History of the Northern Pinesnake, by Joanna Burger, Robert T. Zappalorti, and Michael Gochfield. Now available from Eco Universe Books. I’m looking forward to getting a copy!

Thanks again Bob! Great to talk with you and I hope our paths cross again soon.

POD BLOG! You can find the first of my supplemental blog posts that support podcast episodes at Notes From The Field. Let me know your thoughts!

MERCH!!!  T-shirts and other swag are available now at the SoMuchPingle Threadless Store. More designs are in the pipeline. Thank you in advance!

As always, I am grateful to all the show’s patrons who help to keep the show moving forward. And if you’re out there listening and you would like to kick in a few bucks, there are several ways to do so – you can make a one-time contribution via PayPal or Venmo (please contact me via email to somuchpingle@gmail.com). You can also provide support the show using Patreon, via the So Much Pingle Patreon page. You can support the show for as little as three bucks a month – less than a fancy cup of coffee.

And thanks for listening everyone! And as always, please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and please take time to rate the show on your podcast platform! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there’s also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, tips for herping better, etc.

-Mike

 

Episode 117: In Belgium with Jeroen Speybroeck

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Hi folks!  Thanks for your patience, I’ve been called away so much this spring and summer. I first talked with Jeroen Speybroeck in Episode 27, way back in Season One. Jeroen is all the things, he’s a conservation biologist, author, field herper and life lister, and for that first conversation we talked about his fire salamander research, conservation efforts with Spadefoot Toads, herping in various places around the globe, and we also talked about the very good field guide to the herps of Britain and Europe of which he is a co-author. If you haven’t heard that episode you might want to listen to it first. This show was recorded outside at a lovely abbey near Brussels, where Matt Cage and I had lunch with Jeroen, and a few absolutely killer local brews before heading to the airport.

MERCH!!!  T-shirts and other swag are available now at the SoMuchPingle Threadless Store. More designs are in the pipeline. Thank you in advance!

I want to give a shout-out to someone who wishes to remain anonymous, who recently made a one-time donation to support the podcast. Thank you so much, anonymous person, I appreciate ya! As always, I am grateful to all the show’s patrons who help to keep the show moving forward. And if you’re out there listening and you would like to kick in a few bucks, there are several ways to do so – you can make a one-time contribution via PayPal or Venmo (please contact me via email to somuchpingle@gmail.com). You can also provide support the show using Patreon, via the So Much Pingle Patreon page. You can support the show for as little as three bucks a month – less than a fancy cup of coffee!

Thank you again, Jeroen and Matt!

And thanks for listening everyone! And as always, please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and please take time to rate the show on your podcast platform! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there’s also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, best beers for podcasting (Belgian ales, duh), tips for herping better, etc.

-Mike

 

Episode 115: Snake Week with Rachel Pikstein

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This is a special episode, in support of Snake Week, which is next week, July 13th thru the 19th . It’s also special because it’s the return of Rachel Pikstein! Remember the tegu episode? Rachel and I go over the basics for Snake Week, which is shaping up to be a terrific event, and we also talk about some of the projects she’s working on. If you listened to Episode 88, you know that Rachel is a high energy ball of fire, so get something to drink, and fasten your seatbelts!

I want to give a shout-out to the show’s newest patron, Kathy Woody from out California way! Thank you so much for supporting the show via Patreon, Kathy! Much appreciated.

As always, I am grateful to all the show’s patrons who help to keep the show moving forward. And if you’re out there listening and you would like to kick in a few bucks, there are several ways to do so – you can make a one-time contribution via PayPal or Venmo (please contact me via email to somuchpingle@gmail.com). You can also provide support the show using Patreon, via the So Much Pingle Patreon page. You can support the show for as little as three bucks a month – less than a fancy cup of coffee! IMPORTANT NOTE: up to now, Apple WAS slapping a ridiculous 30% fee on all Patreon transactions using an iPhone or iPad to access the Patreon app.  Apple lost a recent court ruling on this so the 30% fee should NOT show up at checkout.  As far as I can tell this is for users based in the United States, I am not sure if others are still seeing this fee, so please look carefully as you check out. In spite of this reversal  I am still actively working on better ways to support the show, and I appreciate your patience in the meantime.

And thanks for listening everyone! And as always, please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and please take time to rate the show on your podcast platform! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there’s also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, tips for herping better, etc.

-Mike

Episode 114: Always Get The Full Coverage

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This episode was recorded back in April, at a campground somewhere in Louisiana, on the tail-end of a week-long herping trip with a bunch of friends. Various automotive mishaps while herping had come up several times during the trip, and I thought that might be a good just-for-fun topic to pursue before we all went our separate ways.  Many thanks to my friends with their goofy fake names for providing a nice cross-section of things that can happen behind the wheel, or to the wheels….

As always, I am grateful to all the show’s patrons who help to keep the show moving forward. And if you’re out there listening and you would like to kick in a few bucks, there are several ways to do so – you can make a one-time contribution via PayPal or Venmo (please contact me via email to somuchpingle@gmail.com). You can also provide support the show using Patreon, via the So Much Pingle Patreon page. You can support the show for as little as three bucks a month – less than a fancy cup of coffee! IMPORTANT NOTE: up to now, Apple WAS slapping a ridiculous 30% fee on all Patreon transactions using an iPhone or iPad to access the Patreon app.  Apple lost a recent court ruling on this so the 30% fee should NOT show up at checkout.  As far as I can tell this is for users based in the United States, I am not sure if others are still seeing this fee, so please look carefully as you check out. In spite of this reversal  I am still actively working on better ways to support the show, and I appreciate your patience in the meantime.

And thanks for listening everyone! And as always, please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and please take time to rate the show on your podcast platform! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there’s also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, tips for herping better, etc.

-Mike

 

Episode 113: Tales from the Tambo with Matt, Alan, and Joe

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I don’t get to talk with everyone that comes on our Peru expeditions, but in February I did spend an hour talking with three of Chicago Land’s finest herpers – Matt and Alan Ignoffo, and Joe Cavataio. We talk about their experiences during their first Peruvian adventure of course, and we cover more interesting adventures and interests of these three naturalists (including Tully Monsters!).  As per usual, this was recorded on the back deck of my tambo in the Peruvian rainforest near Iquitos.

As always, I am grateful to all the show’s patrons who help to keep the show moving forward. And if you’re out there listening and you would like to kick in a few bucks, there are several ways to do so – you can make a one-time contribution via PayPal or Venmo (please contact me via email to somuchpingle@gmail.com). You can also provide support the show using Patreon, via the So Much Pingle Patreon page. You can support the show for as little as three bucks a month – less than a fancy cup of coffee! IMPORTANT NOTE: up to now, Apple WAS slapping a ridiculous 30% fee on all Patreon transactions using an iPhone or iPad to access the Patreon app.  Apple lost a recent court ruling on this so the 30% fee should NOT show up at checkout.  As far as I can tell this is for users based in the United States, I am not sure if others are still seeing this fee, so please look carefully as you check out. In spite of this reversal  I am still actively working on better ways to support the show, and I appreciate your patience in the meantime.

And thanks for listening everyone! And as always, please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and please take time to rate the show on your podcast platform! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there’s also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, tips for herping better, etc.

-Mike

Episode 112: Tales from the Tambo with Sylvere Corre

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Hi everyone! Episode 112 (and the last episode of Season Five) returns us to the back deck of my tambo in the Peruvian rainforest, where I had a nice chat with Sylvere Corre, wildlife guide extraordinaire. Sylvere travels the world all year, leading people to discover all kinds of animals, including herps and  birds and mammals, and some really spectacular critters. Sylvere clearly has a passion for what he does and I really enjoyed getting to know him during our time in Peru.

Sylvere guides for Yuhina, “created for naturalists by naturalists”. Be sure to check them out! They have more than a few expeditions that caught my interest. You can also follow Sylvere on social media.

SMP Patrons! I want to thank Derek Gillespie and Phil Ngo for supporting the show via Patreon! And I want to thank Tom and Keemie Wille for their one-time donation! I appreciate everyone’s support, and your comments as well!

And as always, I am grateful to all the show’s patrons who help to keep the show moving forward. And if you’re out there listening and you would like to kick in a few bucks, there are several ways to do so – you can make a one-time contribution via PayPal or Venmo (please contact me via email to somuchpingle@gmail.com). You can also provide support the show using Patreon, via the So Much Pingle Patreon page. You can support the show for as little as three bucks a month – less than a fancy cup of coffee! IMPORTANT NOTE:  Apple is slapping a ridiculous 30% fee on all Patreon transactions using an iPhone or iPad to access the Patreon app.  The workaround is to access Patreon dot com directly, or to use an Android device.  So avoid using the app if you’re an Apple person. I wanna say that I am actively working on better ways to support the show, and I appreciate your patience in the meantime!

And thanks for listening everyone! And as always, please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and please take time to rate the show on your podcast platform! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there’s also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, tips for herping better, etc.

-Mike

 

Episode 109: Turtles & Rock n’ Roll, Green Vipers & Anoles with Taz Ezra

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Hello everyone! Episode 109 is a wide-ranging two-hour conversation with PhD student Tasman Ezra. We cover fossil turtles, anole radiation, his band Half Inch Hero, Taz’s Honduras herp conservation project, and much, much more. I met Taz in southeast Missouri last October, and within minutes I knew I wanted to get him in front of a microphone to talk about what’s he is up to, which as it turns out, is a LOT. I have some related links below for you all to check out:

First up is HonduHerp – The Guardians of Honduran Herpetofauna. Taz and his associates are working hard to establish preserves and corridors to help protect Honduran Herpetofauna and other wildlife. Please consider helping out – even a small donation with go a long way to help this project. Right now there an anonymous donor is doing a dollar-for-dollar match, so it’s a good time to double your impact! (I myself made a small donation).

Check out Taz’ band Half Inch Hero on YouTube – My favorite is “Martyr”. They already have some herper fans, including friend of the show Bob Ferguson! Check it out and see what you think!

Finally, here are a couple books by Dr. Jonathan Losos for you to check out:

Lizards in an Evolutionary Tree: Ecology and Adaptive Radiation of Anoles

Improbable Destinies: How Predictable is Evolution?

Thanks for listening everyone! And as always, please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and please take time to rate the show on your podcast platform! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there’s also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, tips for herping better, etc.

-Mike

 

Episode 108: Happy New Year from the Great Karoo

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Hello everyone!  Episode 108 comes from South Africa, recorded in two parts, starting on New Year’s Eve.. The episode starts over in the western edge of South Africa’s Free State, in what’s called the Great Karoo. It was incredibly hot and dry; one day we had a noon temperature of 107 degrees Fahrenheit. We worked the area pretty hard and did better than I expected, before moving about six hours east to the other side of the Free State where it was much cooler, wetter, and higher.  And we recorded a follow-up segment there to recap our experience as whole.

SMP Patrons! I want to thank Gerry Salmon, and Ben Zino over at The Wild Report for their contributions to the So Much Pingle podcast, via Patreon. Thank you so much, Gerry and Ben! And as always, I am grateful to all the show’s patrons who help to keep the show moving forward. And if you’re out there listening and you would like to kick in a few bucks, it’s easy to do, you simply go to the So Much Pingle Patreon page. You can support the show for as little as three bucks a month – less than a fancy cup of coffee! You can also support the show via one-time contributions via PayPal or Venmo (please contact me via email to somuchpingle@gmail.com).

It’s been a while since I’ve done a field herping show and I hope you enjoy our conversations about herping in South Africa. I want to say thanks to the Koch family, Willem, Willem junior, Henk, their friend Peter, and last but not least AnnaMarie, for their hospitality and wonderful assistance.  I also want to thank Daren Riedle for setting things up and just being a super cool dude, and thanks as well to my other companions – TJ Belford, Hunter Bohn, Lawrence Erickson, Jarret Hachel, Glenn Manning, and Phil and Archie Rickoci. It was great to be out in the field with y’all, you’re a hard-working bunch and I appreciate you all.

And thanks for listening everyone! And as always, please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and please take time to rate the show on your podcast platform! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there’s also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, tips for herping better, etc.

-Mike

Episode 107: Snake Parasites and more with Dr. Skylar Hopkins

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Hello everyone and welcome to the show!  Mike Pingleton here, and I am your host for these proceedings.  And here we go with Episode One Hundred and Seven, and our guest for this episode is Dr. Skylar Hopkins, Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University.

Some sad news to talk about first. This show is dedicated to the memory of Hans Breuer, who passed away just a few weeks ago. You may remember my conversation with Hans for Episode 91, last December just a year ago. Hans and I traded quips and wordplay and herping stuff for close to twenty years, and many, many folks in the herping community have done the same, he was a lovely person to know. Hans is one of those friends that I’ve never managed to meet and of course now I deeply regret that. My heart goes out to his family, to his wife and his sons, and to all the many folks out there who also mourn his passing. We miss you old friend.

And as always, I am grateful to all the show’s patrons who help to keep the show moving forward. And if you’re out there listening and you would like to kick in a few bucks, it’s easy to do, you simply go to the So Much Pingle Patreon page. You can support the show for as little as three bucks a month – less than a fancy cup of coffee! You can also support the show via one-time contributions via PayPal or Venmo (please contact me via email to somuchpingle@gmail.com).

This is another one of those times when a plan comes together in such a way that it almost seems pre-ordained. Skylar was going to be giving a presentation in early October at the University of Illinois here in my home town, and of course my first thought is how about coming on the show? And since Skylar was keen to visit Snake Road, what better recording venue than a campfire in the Shawnee National Forest? I’ve done a few of those as most of you know.  And of course, we’re trading studio sound quality for a crackling fire and some katydids but that’s some good ambience right there.  And the next day Skylar and I spent a little time walking on Snake Road, and that was a fun time to wrap up the whole experience.

For those folks who want to salvage non-threatened DOR specimens in North Carolina to support the research efforts of Skylar and others , the point of contact is Jeff Beane at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. And thanks in advance!

And for those folks interested in the book Emerging Zoonotic and Wildlife Pathogens, You can order our textbook here (paperback) or here (hardcover), or wherever you usually buy textbooks. The authors (Skylar, Dan Selkeld, and David Hayman) thank you in advance!

Thanks for talking with me, Skylar!  And thanks for listening everyone! And as always, please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and please take time to rate the show on your podcast platform! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there’s also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, tips for herping better, etc.

-Mike

Episode 104: Project Obscurus with Tony Daly-Crews

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Hello everyone and welcome to Episode One Hundred and Four!  I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there, including all the folks who are recovering in the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton.

As always, I am grateful to all the show’s patrons who help to keep the show moving forward. And if you’re out there listening and you would like to kick in a few bucks, it’s easy to do, you simply go to the So Much Pingle Patreon page. You can support the show for as little as three bucks a month – less than a fancy cup of coffee!  PLEASE NOTE:  Starting in November 2024, Apple will be charging a 30% fee for any Patreon transactions made through an iPhone or iPad using the Patreon app.  To get around this, go directly to Patreon.com, or use an Android device. If you already contribute to So Much Pingle, nothing changes, unless you decide to change how much you contribute.  In that case use an Android device or a computer to access the Patreon web site to make your changes, and avoid the ridiculous 30% fee. One-Time Donations: You can also support the show via one-time contributions via PayPal or Venmo (please contact me via email to somuchpingle@gmail.com). And thank you!

I recorded this episode back in late August while the show was on hiatus, after seeing a post on social media about an effort to conserve and recover the New Mexico Ridgenosed Rattlesnake, Crotalus willardi obscurus.  My ears went up like Scooby Doo and I immediately went in search of someone to talk to about it and as it turns out, Tony Daly-Crews was involved. You may remember my conversation with Tony about the Rattlesnake Conservancy, back in episode 53. Obscurus is the stuff of legend, a snake barely entering the United States and a rattlesnake that a lot of field herpers would like to see.  If you’ve read any of Carl Kauffeld’s books you’re familiar with his account of looking for this snake in the Animas mountains of New Mexico. If you haven’t, check out the chapter entitled “Follow Me” in the book “Snakes: The Keeper and the Kept” from way back in 1969.

You can help the Rattlesnake Conservancy in many ways via their website, savethebuzztails.org, either by donations or through their merch store. You can also participate in some of their events.

Thanks for talking with me, Tony!  And thanks for listening everyone! And as always, please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and please take time to rate the show on your podcast platform! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there’s also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, tips for herping better, etc.

-Mike