Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eighty Eight! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there.
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).
Our guest for this episode is Rachel Pikstein, and we discuss the issue of invasive tegu lizards in Florida and elsewhere, and we also talk about her research in this area, and much much more. I had attended the International Herpetological Symposium this past summer, where Rachel gave a presentation on the subject and I knew I wanted to get her on the show.
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.
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eighty Seven! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there.
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 another episode of Herp Science Sunday! On this installment, Dr. Alex Krohn and I discuss two papers:
Between fruits, flowers and nectar: The extraordinary diet of the frog Xenohyla truncata
by Carlos Henrique de-Oliveira-Nogueira et al., and published in Vol 35 of the journal Food Webs
Aggregation and social interaction in garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)
by Morgan Skinner and Noam Miller, and published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (2020) 74: 51
and as always, drop me a note if you need a copy of these publications.
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.
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eighty Six! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there.
Before we get to today’s episode, I want to thank Gerry Salmon for his one-time donation to the So Much Pingle podcast. Much appreciated, Gerry, thank you so much. 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).
I also want to give a shout-out to Justin Michels and Marty Whalin for their recent comments and suggestions regarding the show, and for just being awesome dudes in general. As I’ve often said folks, I’m open to your comments, suggestions, feedback, whatever you got. Drop me a note to somuchpingle@gmail.com.
I drove up to Iowa to interview Dr. Josh Otten, Don Becker, and Jim Scharosch, about their ongoing project with Illinois mud turtles, ornate box turtles, and western hognose snakes. Initially this was a survey project, but along the way conservation and restoration components were added. Before we talked, I spent the day in the field with Josh and Don and Jim, and I also want to give a shout out to Laura Scharosch, Jeff Faircloth, and May Quiminales, lovely folks who were also present and willingly gave their time and effort to the project.
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.
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eighty Five! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. And for those of you experiencing extra-high temperatures, I hope you all are staying cool and hydrated.
As always, I want to thank everyone who keeps the show rolling along. 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).
Our guest this week is Dr. Steven Allain, of Kent University in the UK. We talked about some of his research projects that include grass snakes and midwife toads. Steve also keeps the science flowing on his social media accounts and we cover some of that as well.
Steve actively posts about his study subjects, herp science, and other science-related issues on Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon, and Facebook.
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.
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eighty Four! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there.
It’s good to be back in the recording studio after a long absence, and I appreciate everyone’s patience while I was out having a good time. I spent several weeks in Thailand, on a herping trip that started in Bangkok and finished at the southern tip of the country, on the border with Malaysia. I saw some amazing herps and other wildlife, lots of pit vipers including several Wagler’s pit vipers, one of those bucket list serpents for me.
So Much Pingle Patrons! A big thank you to the show’s newest patron, Daren Riedle! I’m sure you all remember my conversation with Daren back in Episode 78 – that was a fun one and I get a lot of comments about that show. So thank you so much Daren for supporting the show and for taking part as well! And as always, I want to thank everyone who keeps the show rolling along. 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).
So this episode arises out of some singular events that happened in Peru earlier this year. I was down there with Matt Cage for three separate herp tours, and the crazy bit is that we encountered 7 bushmasters across the three trips – one on the first, FIVE on the second, and one on the last trip in February. Now, we are happy to get one Lachesis muta on an expedition – there’s no denying that the chance to see a bushmaster is a big draw for our clients – and sometimes we may even find two. But during our second trip, after five bushmasters were found, I decided to record with some of the folks involved, attempting to capture some of the experience. So please enjoy my conversations with Jill Rials and Michael Moffat, Jeff and Berk, the Brothers Martineau, and Richard Legere.
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.
Hello everyone and welcome to the show! Mike Pingleton here, and I am your host for these proceedings. And here we go with Episode Eighty Three, and I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. It’s early June here at the So Much Pingle world headquarters, and my flower garden is starting to POP! It’s a great time if you’re into that sort of thing.
Well I’ve been kind of busy over the last few weeks, helping out with a couple of different herp surveys, and there’s a podcast episode coming out of one of those, which I hope to put out next month if time permits. I say time permits because I’m leaving for Thailand next week and I won’t get back until July 4th. I’m happy to get this show out before I leave because the last 4-5 days at home before a trip I am running around like a madman trying to get everything ready, and getting the lawn mowed one more time, stuff like that. Good problem to have.
So Much Pingle Patrons! As always, I want to thank everyone who keeps the show rolling along. 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).
Our guests for this episode are Sky Stevens and Sheri Monk, which I recorded months ago in Peru. Why did it take so long you say? Well, I had some technical issues – let’s call them what they really are, operator error on my part. When I record in the field, I use a Zoom HN4 recorder, with two Shure microphones cabled in. It’s a lovely rig and I get good results, but on this occasion, I neglected to turn off the Zoom’s built-in omnidirectional microphone and just run the two Shures as per usual. The result was a lot of static and wind noise, and I had to spend some time learning how to clean that up using Adobe Audition. I’m not an audio engineer and every time I have to dig deeper into audio engineering, I feel like my brain forgets a dozen scientific names to make room.
Thank goodness I didn’t have to ask Sky and Sheri to re-record this episode, because it is a gem. There are still a few moments of static, notably around the 2 minute, 39 minute, and 1 hour 14 minute marks, my apologies, but the rest of the recording is quite clear. You may notice some other artifacts – the omnidirectional microphone picks up EVERY buzzing insect, and the birds are a lit louder too, although I’m told some folks enjoy that. Maybe turn down the volume if you listen with headphones.
Thank you Sky and Sheri! So much fun talking with you. 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, methods for picking up water snakes, tips for herping better, etc.
Hello everyone and welcome to the show! Mike Pingleton here, and I am your host for these proceedings. And here we go with Episode Eighty Two, and I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. It’s a lovely Sunday morning in May and I can’t wait to get out in it after I’m done putting this together.
So Much Pingle Patrons! A big thank you to the show’s newest patron, Skylar Hopkins! Thank you Skylar! And as always, I want to thank everyone who keeps the show rolling along. 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).
Our guest this week is Dr. Andrew Hoffman lately of The Ohio State University, and we talk about bucket cams, rattlesnakes, outreach and education, the Life Underfoot You Tube channel, and Andrew’s new job as assistant professor at St. John Fisher University.
Thanks for talking with me Andrew! 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, methods for picking up water snakes, tips for herping better, etc.
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eighty One! And Season Four! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there.
In this episode, I talk with Gerold Merker, who with his son Walter recently published an updated edition of The Gray-banded Kingsnake, which I think is a fabulous book. I talk with Gerold about the book, about west Texas, and of course, Gray-bands! The book is available from Eco Wear and Publishing.
So Much Pingle Patrons! A big thank you to Gerold Merker, our newest patron and the star of this episode as well. And as always, I want to thank everyone who keeps the show rolling along. 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).
And given that we’re now kicking off Season Four, I want to take a little time to mention all of the folks who have contributed to show via Patreon or one-time contributions: Justin Michels, Jason Jones of Herp MX, Smetlogik AKA Rob Kreutzer, Ryan Borgmann, Joshua Wallace, Jill Rials, Marty Whalin, Chris Smith, Dr. Emily Taylor, John Burris, Kamil Scepanski, Brandon Kong, Issac Chellman, Dr James van Dyke, Brandon Ballard, Mike Rochford, Josef Thompson, Dr. Alex Krohn, Matt Ratcliffe, Jeroen Speybroek, Bryan Hughes, Brandon Bourassa, Josh Holbrook my favorite co-author, James McGhee, Michael Moffat, Andy O’Connor, Jake Scott, Deb Krohn, Duane McDermott, John Sullivan, Josh Emms, Justin Elden, Matt Cage, Patrick Connolly, Chris McMartin, Michael Cravens, Ana Ware, Tim Warfel, David Burkart, Adam Cooner, Dr. Bill Peterman, Cynthia Samake, Paul-Erik Bakland, William Bone, Jeremiah Easter, Richard Legere (AKA Squeaks), Tom Eles, Jeremy Schumacher, Neill Jones, Alec Gordon, Martin Habecker, Daniel Dye, Clint Henke, Ross Maynard, Nick Sobel, Moses Michelsohn, Myles Masterson, Ben Genter, Pearson McGovern, Tom Eles again, Sal Scibetta, Alicia Ballard, Ben Stegenga, Kam Delahoz, Dave Weber, JJ Apodaca, the Urbanek family, Will McManus, Jason Folt, Lawrence Erickson, Wes Redridge, Christian Diederich, Brad Allen,Ian Kanda, Kim Brown, Andrew Davis, Dick Bartlett, Craig Howard, Sheri Monk, Ian Kanda again, and finally, Gerold Merker. My apologies for any mispronunciations, or if I left anyone out (pretty sure I didn’t). What can I say? Thank you, all of you, for supporting this show, I am more grateful than I can possibly express to you all.
I also want to thank all the folks who I’ve talked to over the course of three seasons –easily a hundred or more people and I’ll skip reading all those names. I’ve enjoyed talking with each and every one of you.
Thank you Gerold Merker for starting off Season Four on a high note! 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.
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eighty! A nice round number and I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there.
First up, I want to give a shoutout to Claire Pedersen, who only found out about the show recently but has been working her way through the episodes in chronological order. She’s more than halfway through so I expect it won’t be long before she hears this. I also want to give a shoutout to Charlotte Pedersen as well. She’s Claire’s younger sister and both of them are just nuts about herps and other kinds of wildlife.
So Much Pingle Patrons! I want to give a shoutout to Ian Kanda. Ian is one of the show’s patrons and he recently made -another- one-time donation to help the show. Thank you so much, Ian! And as always, I want to thank everyone who keeps the show rolling along. 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 no big secret that I love hanging out in the field with biologists and ecologists and pretty much any kind of ologist, and I have been fortunate enough to assist with a number of survey projects over the years. Last April I drove to North Carolina to help Josh Holbrook and his students with some wetland surveys, which consisted of wading into freshwater ponds to set traps and then return to survey their contents. I had a great time, as you might expect, and then we recorded this episode after dinner, around a campfire. Stories around a campfire, it doesn’t get any better than that. And some of Josh’s students were just getting their feet wet, so to speak, and I enjoyed hearing their perspectives on their first forays into field work.
Thanks to Josh, John, MJ, Sam, Brenna, and Whitney! 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.
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode 79! It’s been a while since an episode dropped and I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there.
I’ve had the best excuse for not getting a show out for a while – I’ve been traveling! I just got back from two weeks in Madagascar, and before that I spent most of January and February in Peru. I am home for a while now, so the show schedule will go back to something close to regular for the near future.
So Much Pingle Patrons! I want to give a big shout-out to the show’s newest supporter, Sheri Monk! Thank you Sheri! And as always, I want to thank everyone who keeps the show rolling along. 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).
Our guests this week are Dick Lock and Lieke Verwoerd, who operate the wildlife tour companies Unlock Nature and Herping Suriname. Dick and Lieke came down to Peru on one of our expeditions, and I got to spend some time getting to know them and it was a pleasure to interview them about what they are up to in Suriname, a place I really want to visit someday. You can follow Unlock Nature on Facebook and Instagram, and you can follow Herping Suriname on Facebook and Instagram as well.
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.
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eighty Eight! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there.
