WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:02.960 Do you know what real power is? It's knowing you're 2 00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:05.719 on the same rate for energy all day, every day 3 00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:08.640 with a smart all Day plan from board Gosh Energy, 4 00:00:08.839 --> 00:00:11.039 save up to eight hundred and eighty euro on dual 5 00:00:11.119 --> 00:00:13.519 fuel plus get a two hundred and thirty five euro 6 00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:17.839 welcome bonus switch today at Boardgosh Energy dot Ie Board 7 00:00:17.879 --> 00:00:20.519 Gosh Energy. Know your Power. 8 00:00:20.440 --> 00:00:22.600 Estimating ANUEL bill A twenty six hundred and twenty nine 9 00:00:22.600 --> 00:00:25.039 your new customers. Only thirsh ofpercentis kent off Smart all 10 00:00:25.079 --> 00:00:27.920 Day Electricity unierrates in twenty nine percent of gus see 11 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:29.839 pocash Energy dot E for forties and ceas. 12 00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:32.479 Drivers know what trouble sounds like. 13 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:40.280 No, no, okay forward, oh no. 14 00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:43.479 Oh please, no no, That's why they get covered from 15 00:00:43.479 --> 00:00:47.000 Ireland's soundest car insurance provider, Supervalue Insurance. 16 00:00:47.320 --> 00:00:49.600 Thanks for calling us inin and don't beat yourself up 17 00:00:49.640 --> 00:00:52.439 about it. Sure I'm driving ten years and parallel parking 18 00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:53.359 still battlest me. 19 00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:56.880 Get a code from Supervalue Car Insurance to get ten 20 00:00:56.880 --> 00:00:59.640 percent off online and we'll even throw in forty euroin 21 00:00:59.719 --> 00:01:02.799 vouch there Decency's apply. Vouchers include two twenty euro or 22 00:01:02.840 --> 00:01:05.799 forty eurospend. This cor insurance is underwritten by Acts Insurance, Deck, 23 00:01:05.879 --> 00:01:08.959 Supervide Financial Services, Stack Trading and Supervalue Insurance is regulated 24 00:01:08.959 --> 00:01:10.000 by the Central Bank of Ireland. 25 00:01:10.719 --> 00:01:14.760 Hey, ologites, Hi Ali Ward in your space. Hi, it's 26 00:01:14.840 --> 00:01:21.719 me so herbs. Let's talk about it. Herpetology, what is it? Okay? 27 00:01:21.760 --> 00:01:26.640 It's the study of amphibians like newts and salamanders and 28 00:01:26.680 --> 00:01:31.879 all all froggies and toads and reptiles like tortoises and 29 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:36.560 turtles and crocodiles, also snakes. What huh. Don't worry about them. 30 00:01:36.640 --> 00:01:38.840 Don't worry about it. Okay, listen. If you're afraid of 31 00:01:38.879 --> 00:01:41.799 the S word, we will address that. We will soothe 32 00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:45.719 your fears for real. But herpetology, generally, it's a lot 33 00:01:45.719 --> 00:01:50.239 of different animals, and technically it's the study of poikilothermic 34 00:01:50.560 --> 00:01:55.799 ectothermic tetrapods. What are those words? Are they words? Yes? Okay, 35 00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:57.519 I had to look it up, but I'm gonna break 36 00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:01.879 it down. Poikilothermic no idea, how that's pronounced? Means an 37 00:02:01.959 --> 00:02:08.280 animal whose internal temperature varies considerably. Exothermic is when the 38 00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:12.719 regulation of your hot bod depends on external sources like 39 00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:16.879 sunlight or a heated rock surface. Now, a tetrapod means 40 00:02:17.080 --> 00:02:20.439 four legged, although I think of a toad and tell me, 41 00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:24.240 tell me those front two aren't arms like toads have hands, 42 00:02:24.319 --> 00:02:27.960 right am, I own drugs? Okay? So herpetology, Okay, what's 43 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:31.039 the anomology here? It's far more brutal than you can 44 00:02:31.080 --> 00:02:37.000 even imagine. So you think herpies and herpetology. Maybe this 45 00:02:37.159 --> 00:02:40.199 was about scales, like scaling it, I had no idea. 46 00:02:40.240 --> 00:02:43.919 I was like skin rashes. Okay, it's more poetic. So 47 00:02:44.240 --> 00:02:47.879 the viral skin conditions, which for fun we're gonna call 48 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:51.879 Jenny herbs, cold sores, chicken pox, those come from the 49 00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:57.000 herpes virus, which comes from a Greek word hair pene, 50 00:02:57.439 --> 00:03:00.479 which means to creep like a rash. That's where it 51 00:03:00.520 --> 00:03:04.400 comes from. Now her petology comes from the Greek hair pain, 52 00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:08.520 same word to creep. Not really helping this image issue 53 00:03:08.599 --> 00:03:10.199 is the fact that when you think of adults who 54 00:03:10.280 --> 00:03:12.639 keep lizards in a tank in their garage, like the 55 00:03:12.639 --> 00:03:14.719 word creep may or may not come into play, But 56 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:19.719 once you understand the splendor of green and scaly critters, 57 00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:23.000 you'll be like, oh man, I too want a reptile 58 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:26.039 condo in my home. Now, every time you hear the 59 00:03:26.039 --> 00:03:29.680 word creep in this episode, a bell will sound and 60 00:03:29.879 --> 00:03:32.080 you can feel free to take a big sip of 61 00:03:32.120 --> 00:03:35.599 whatever beverage you're having, or you can do a small 62 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:40.159 inconspicuous dance. Speaking of let's take a quick break to 63 00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:44.199 step into a segment. I like to call creep in 64 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:47.840 your reviews. So when you rate and subscribe and leave 65 00:03:47.879 --> 00:03:50.960 a review on iTunes, helps get Ologies up in the 66 00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:54.039 science charts and it helps other people find the podcast. Also, 67 00:03:54.240 --> 00:03:56.719 I record all my asides in a closet and it 68 00:03:56.759 --> 00:03:59.319 really makes my day. So I read every single one 69 00:03:59.319 --> 00:04:01.240 of them, and I'm going to read you a fun 70 00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:06.080 one every week. Okay, Blooty Blot said, the format is great. 71 00:04:06.360 --> 00:04:09.599 Ali's interjections are awesome and it makes the podcast unique, 72 00:04:09.719 --> 00:04:12.520 almost like those nineties TV shows where the character is 73 00:04:12.599 --> 00:04:15.840 aware of the camera. Okay. Another way to support Ologies 74 00:04:15.960 --> 00:04:19.079 is just tell friends, tweet or Instagram about it. You 75 00:04:19.079 --> 00:04:22.800 can make some memes and on Instagram. This week Ologies 76 00:04:22.879 --> 00:04:25.600 is giving back. We're doing a giveaway of a full 77 00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:29.040 enamel pin set. We've never done a giveaway before. I 78 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:32.000 don't really know how it works, so we'll see how 79 00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:35.199 it goes. So check out at ologies on Instagram for 80 00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:38.759 the details. You can also become a patron. My heart 81 00:04:38.800 --> 00:04:41.439 is cheap, and I set the patreon to have the 82 00:04:41.480 --> 00:04:45.759 lowest threshold I think possible, so you can support the 83 00:04:45.800 --> 00:04:49.319 show for as little as twenty five cents an episode. 84 00:04:49.560 --> 00:04:53.199 It is statistically feasible that at least one person on 85 00:04:53.279 --> 00:04:57.120 Earth has twenty five cents in loose change lingering in 86 00:04:57.160 --> 00:05:00.759 their butt crack right now. Patrons get their questions first 87 00:05:00.959 --> 00:05:06.439 to theologists. There's also other perks like increased self esteem. 88 00:05:06.879 --> 00:05:12.839 You get my undying non sexual love okay onto theologist. 89 00:05:13.360 --> 00:05:16.160 So I was a fan of this doctor on the 90 00:05:16.199 --> 00:05:20.600 website Twitter dot com for a while, where as alongside 91 00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:25.319 wild he enjoys a healthy twenty two thousand followers, he 92 00:05:25.399 --> 00:05:29.439 follows exactly six hundred and sixty six back. I always 93 00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:34.959 respected his really swift, kind of somewhat gruff identifications of 94 00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:40.639 snakes from these like blurry probably mid running away photos 95 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:43.439 that people would send him. People would be like a snake, 96 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:46.399 take a picture and then at him on Twitter, and 97 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:47.959 I thought, one day, I want to hang out with 98 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:49.680 this person. I want to ask about his love of 99 00:05:49.959 --> 00:05:52.839 snacks and herbs, and as fate would have it, I 100 00:05:52.920 --> 00:05:56.439 was in Alabama for less than twenty four hours shooting 101 00:05:56.519 --> 00:05:59.800 Innovation Nation. That's the science show I'm on on CBS 102 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:03.160 every Saturday morning, in case you want some Alley Ward 103 00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:06.519 science content that does not involve casual use of the 104 00:06:06.600 --> 00:06:11.240 term motherfucker. Anyway, Alabama, So as an associate research professor 105 00:06:11.279 --> 00:06:14.360 at Auburn University. He was a local, and he agreed 106 00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:17.199 to meet me where else, folks, but at hampton In 107 00:06:17.560 --> 00:06:20.360 at eight pm after I flew in. Here's the problem. 108 00:06:20.439 --> 00:06:23.879 I had been in four states and four time zones 109 00:06:23.959 --> 00:06:28.519 so far that day, and a very kind Alabama front 110 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:31.680 desk lady set us up at a conference room, and 111 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:34.839 as I went to record, I realized I didn't have 112 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:38.079 an SD card in my Zoom recorder. So I left 113 00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:42.000 this ologist alone in the hampton In while I borrowed 114 00:06:42.040 --> 00:06:44.920 my producer's rental car. I sped to a best Buy. 115 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:47.759 I purchased a sixty four gig SD card. I should 116 00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:50.560 be covered. Then I came back to hampton In only 117 00:06:50.600 --> 00:06:54.560 to realize that zooms inexplicably only take up to thirty 118 00:06:54.560 --> 00:06:57.519 two gig cards. I don't know why so at this 119 00:06:57.639 --> 00:07:02.439 point I left this herpetologist again, now nine pm in 120 00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:05.959 this Hampton in conference room and kitchenette, to recklessly drive 121 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:08.759 to the Best Buy again. At this point I requested 122 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:10.360 that he set a timer to see if I could 123 00:07:10.439 --> 00:07:13.519 make it back in under fifteen minutes. I thought, let's 124 00:07:13.519 --> 00:07:15.639 make a game of this. At this point, he can 125 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:20.680 only assume I'm clinically insane or a truly ineffectual murderer. 126 00:07:21.279 --> 00:07:23.879 So hustling round two, I made it in thirteen minutes. 127 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:26.600 So by the time we actually recorded this episode, we 128 00:07:26.639 --> 00:07:29.199 had the rapport of two people who had been stranded 129 00:07:29.279 --> 00:07:32.560 on an island in a slapstick movie from the nineteen thirties. 130 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:36.839 It's one of my favorite interviews ever. I love it. 131 00:07:37.199 --> 00:07:41.639 We address turtles, snake IDs, the fear of snakes, tools 132 00:07:41.680 --> 00:07:46.560 for herpin Wyb York is a lot like a cave salamander, nudists, 133 00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:52.040 frog storms, a lot of behind the scenes Indiana Jones, trivia, 134 00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:56.680 the ethics of hunting and conservation biology. It's great. So 135 00:07:56.759 --> 00:08:01.759 get ready to let herps into your heart with polyologist 136 00:08:02.079 --> 00:08:26.079 and herpetologist, Doctor David Steen. Please record, okay, dude, it 137 00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:31.360 looks like this is recording this is a really big victory. Okay, 138 00:08:31.560 --> 00:08:35.120 I'm gonna get your levels. You are a soft spoken person. 139 00:08:35.320 --> 00:08:37.240 Yeah, I could turn it up a little bit. 140 00:08:38.200 --> 00:08:41.919 I would get uncomfortably close to the microphone. These are 141 00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:45.080 like stand up comedian microphones, so they expect you to 142 00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:46.919 be up in their business. Right, So I think my 143 00:08:46.960 --> 00:08:50.600 Internet is up and running. I mean I I should 144 00:08:50.639 --> 00:08:53.440 just I feel like I should just burn sage around myself. 145 00:08:54.080 --> 00:08:57.360 What kind of ologists do you identify with, Like a necologist, 146 00:08:57.559 --> 00:09:00.720 a wildlife biologist, herpetologist. What do you call yourself? 147 00:09:01.919 --> 00:09:04.879 Well, I've certainly been called worse than any of those things. 148 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:08.639 It depends on who I'm talking to. In general, I 149 00:09:08.720 --> 00:09:11.440 like to think of myself as a wildlife ecologist and 150 00:09:11.480 --> 00:09:16.840 conservation biologist. So I study how wildlife interact with other 151 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:19.639 species and their surroundings. But most of the work that 152 00:09:19.720 --> 00:09:22.919 I do relates to amphibians and reptiles, and that's where 153 00:09:22.919 --> 00:09:23.960 the herpetology comes in. 154 00:09:24.279 --> 00:09:25.519 So are you a herpetologist? 155 00:09:26.840 --> 00:09:29.000 Yeah, we can go with that, Okay, Yeah, I study 156 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:31.279 amphabians and reptiles, so yeah, I think it would be 157 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:32.600 accurate to call me a herpetologist. 158 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:36.360 I became aware of you on Twitter because you're like 159 00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:39.600 fire when it comes to snake ideas, Like someone will 160 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:42.159 send you the sasquatch equivalent of like it looks like 161 00:09:42.200 --> 00:09:45.320 a rope from half of football field away and you're like, oh, 162 00:09:45.399 --> 00:09:48.240 that's a copperheaded How do you know? How did you 163 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:48.919 get so good at that? 164 00:09:49.519 --> 00:09:51.720 Well? I like to think that it's kind of like 165 00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:56.279 how you recognize friends and family. You're not necessarily it's true, though, 166 00:09:56.320 --> 00:09:59.679 you're not necessarily looking at the length of someone's mustache 167 00:09:59.799 --> 00:10:03.120 or the color of their eyebrows. You just recognize them. 168 00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:06.279 And I think that is how I see the snakes, 169 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:08.840 So you don't necessarily have to well, I don't necessarily 170 00:10:08.879 --> 00:10:11.399 have to look at for those really specific features. It's 171 00:10:11.399 --> 00:10:12.320 just an overall feel. 172 00:10:12.799 --> 00:10:14.840 So it's like if someone's like, who's this and you're like, 173 00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:17.080 that's Aunt Janet, like it's just boom. 174 00:10:17.360 --> 00:10:19.360 That's exactly right. And that's why it makes it hard 175 00:10:19.399 --> 00:10:21.200 to answer the questions when people say, well, how can 176 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:23.879 you tell us this and not this? And because it 177 00:10:23.919 --> 00:10:26.240 isn't you know, So it's and I don't want to 178 00:10:27.000 --> 00:10:29.960 make people think that that's how I identify snakes, because 179 00:10:29.960 --> 00:10:31.039 there's always exceptions. 180 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:35.240 How many books about snakes. Did have you read and 181 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:36.919 when did you start reading them? 182 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:41.360 I've read forty six books about snakes, but the night 183 00:10:41.440 --> 00:10:42.639 is young, so. 184 00:10:43.039 --> 00:10:44.679 You started them this morning, that's right. 185 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:47.679 I don't know. I do have a lot of reference 186 00:10:47.679 --> 00:10:51.480 books growing up. I like to learn about the creatures 187 00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:55.279 around me, and so between fifty and one hundred books 188 00:10:55.320 --> 00:10:55.919 something like that? 189 00:10:56.440 --> 00:10:59.600 Did you start young? Did you start getting amphibian and 190 00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:02.159 reptile books when you were a kid for like every occasion? 191 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:07.039 Yeah. I have always been interested in creepy crawley things 192 00:11:07.159 --> 00:11:10.039 and like to spend times in streams and looking under 193 00:11:10.120 --> 00:11:12.919 rocks and things like that. So my family was very 194 00:11:12.919 --> 00:11:18.120 supportive and I was inundated with all the reptile and 195 00:11:18.200 --> 00:11:20.759 alphaebian toys and books that I could imagine. I started 196 00:11:20.799 --> 00:11:22.480 with dinosaurs, but it evolved. 197 00:11:22.679 --> 00:11:24.519 Where exactly were you raised. 198 00:11:25.279 --> 00:11:27.799 From New York and I've spent most of my life there? 199 00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:29.200 What part of New York? 200 00:11:29.360 --> 00:11:31.960 Well, it's when I say New York, people often imagine 201 00:11:31.960 --> 00:11:35.159 the city, and I actually lived in Orange County, New York, 202 00:11:35.159 --> 00:11:37.159 which is about forty five minutes away from the city. 203 00:11:37.720 --> 00:11:41.159 It's surprisingly rural. It's near Bear Mountain State Park and 204 00:11:41.240 --> 00:11:45.279 Stirling Forest we had bears, timber, attle, snakes, you name it. 205 00:11:45.360 --> 00:11:46.840 So it was a fun place to be. 206 00:11:47.480 --> 00:11:49.440 When you were growing up. Did your parents just let 207 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:51.679 you loose? Were you like a free range child, like 208 00:11:51.759 --> 00:11:54.600 go out, don't get caught in some barbed wire, go 209 00:11:54.639 --> 00:11:56.360 look at stuff, or were you like an indoor kid 210 00:11:56.360 --> 00:11:57.320 reading books. 211 00:11:58.519 --> 00:12:01.559 I think that a little bit of both. It was 212 00:12:01.600 --> 00:12:04.639 definitely a different era, and I remember people talk about 213 00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:07.480 watching Stranger Things and how the kids can just wander 214 00:12:07.519 --> 00:12:09.440 off and have fun and catch frogs, and so there 215 00:12:09.480 --> 00:12:10.600 was definitely a lot of that. 216 00:12:11.159 --> 00:12:13.720 Side note, a few years ago, some research came out 217 00:12:13.799 --> 00:12:17.320 that kids are not any less safe than they were 218 00:12:17.399 --> 00:12:20.240 a few decades ago. In fact, crime in America peaked 219 00:12:20.279 --> 00:12:23.720 in the early nineteen nineties and has been going steadily 220 00:12:23.840 --> 00:12:26.960 down since. There was an article in the Washington Post 221 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:29.559 called There's never been a safer time to be a 222 00:12:29.600 --> 00:12:32.080 kid in America and it has stats and graphs on 223 00:12:32.120 --> 00:12:36.759 the following crime rates. So why is helicopter parenting on 224 00:12:36.799 --> 00:12:41.519 the rise? Well? One twenty sixteen study claimed that Americans' 225 00:12:41.720 --> 00:12:45.039 fear of crime is statistically related to the level of 226 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:50.039 violence portrayed on primetime TV, and another study tracked that 227 00:12:50.440 --> 00:12:52.799 the less satisfied we are with a government, the more 228 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:56.960 likely we are to misjudge and inflate danger. So I 229 00:12:57.000 --> 00:12:59.600 don't have kids. If I had a dog, I would 230 00:12:59.600 --> 00:13:01.600 probably you put it in a papoose and it would 231 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:03.919 never be more than a meter away from me. But 232 00:13:04.440 --> 00:13:07.200 the website free range kids dot com seems to make 233 00:13:07.240 --> 00:13:09.919 a case for just chilling out and letting your children 234 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:13.159 romp off leash. I don't know. Up to you. They 235 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:14.600 could also just read a book, but. 236 00:13:14.679 --> 00:13:18.559 I was also kind of a bookworm, so a little 237 00:13:18.559 --> 00:13:19.000 bit of both. 238 00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:21.639 Just sitting by a stream reading a book about snakes 239 00:13:21.679 --> 00:13:24.039 looking for snakes sounds pretty nice, right, I think this 240 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:26.600 is my life. Now. How long have you been in Alabama? 241 00:13:26.600 --> 00:13:31.600 Because we're in a Hampton in conference room in Opelika. 242 00:13:31.639 --> 00:13:37.720 Opelika Opeka part is Alabama. So how how long has 243 00:13:37.759 --> 00:13:39.480 a New York guy been in Alabama? 244 00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:42.799 I've been in the South since two thousand and four. 245 00:13:43.600 --> 00:13:46.240 But they say it doesn't matter how long I'm down here, 246 00:13:46.279 --> 00:13:49.360 I'll always be a Yankee. I'm okay with that. 247 00:13:49.799 --> 00:13:52.919 The snake's better in New York or Alabama. 248 00:13:53.240 --> 00:13:55.720 See, I don't really want to offend anybody or puss 249 00:13:55.720 --> 00:13:58.759 anybody off. And that's really kind of a controversial statement. 250 00:13:58.799 --> 00:14:01.720 But New York doesn't have as many snakes, but they've 251 00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:04.879 got some cool ones, like timber rattlesnakes, and they're rarer 252 00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:07.399 up there. We've got timber rattlesnakes down here too, but 253 00:14:07.840 --> 00:14:09.960 they're kind of a diamond, doesn't They show up right 254 00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:13.600 in town actually, much to everybody's dismay. 255 00:14:14.360 --> 00:14:17.840 As born and bred West Coaster, I know nothing about 256 00:14:17.879 --> 00:14:22.360 timber rattlers, nothing, but I found out they're potentially one 257 00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:24.840 of the most dangerous snakes in North America because they're big, 258 00:14:24.960 --> 00:14:28.039 they have a lot of venom. They are also relatively 259 00:14:28.120 --> 00:14:30.639 chill as hell, and they warn you a bunch before 260 00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:33.960 they strike. They're like, come on, man, come on, rattle, rattle, 261 00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:37.279 so they give you fair warning. They're also kind of 262 00:14:37.320 --> 00:14:41.720 famous as a symbol of American anger and resolve. So 263 00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:44.440 in the seventeen hundreds, all these European doctors came to 264 00:14:44.440 --> 00:14:48.039 the US and they were like, my heavens, these sninky 265 00:14:48.080 --> 00:14:52.320 beasts saw no match for my shitty curs. So they 266 00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:55.320 were so bad ass we started to envision ourselves as 267 00:14:55.399 --> 00:15:00.559 timber snakes. Benjamin Franklin, who is noted in the Ornithology 268 00:15:00.600 --> 00:15:04.720 episode for throwing shade at garbage eating bald eagles. Was 269 00:15:04.799 --> 00:15:08.240 pro herb listen to this? In seventeen seventy five, he 270 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:13.519 wrote about timber snakes, she has no eyelids. She may 271 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:18.120 therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance. Okay, well, she 272 00:15:18.200 --> 00:15:21.240 just doesn't have eyelids. She never wounds till she has 273 00:15:21.399 --> 00:15:24.679 generously given notice, even to her enemy. Was I wrong, 274 00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:28.440 sir in thinking this a strong picture of the temper 275 00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:34.320 and conduct of America? Your hero a timber rattlesnake? You 276 00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:36.720 know that. Don't tread on me flag E've ben seeing 277 00:15:36.759 --> 00:15:39.360 the last decade or so that has a name. It's 278 00:15:39.360 --> 00:15:42.480 called a Gadsen flag, and the Tea Party adopted it 279 00:15:42.519 --> 00:15:45.879 in two thousand and nine. Is kind of a GOP symbol, 280 00:15:45.960 --> 00:15:50.080 so it has these indignant Republican connotations. Now, But the 281 00:15:50.200 --> 00:15:54.240 poor timber snake, because on these posters and flags there's 282 00:15:54.320 --> 00:15:59.679 usually just horrendously rendered coiling and this snake always looks 283 00:15:59.679 --> 00:16:02.120 like a shit emoji to me, which is like, don't 284 00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:04.360 tread on me. Indeed. Now, more on why you should 285 00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:07.200 not be afraid of snakes later in the episode Trust me. 286 00:16:07.799 --> 00:16:10.919 Do you get more frantic texts and tweets at different 287 00:16:10.960 --> 00:16:13.480 times of the year, like do you know, like, Okay, 288 00:16:13.480 --> 00:16:15.759 it's rattle snakes season, Like I'm getting a lot of 289 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:16.519 what is it? 290 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:19.559 Yeah? Yeah, And it is pretty interesting to look for 291 00:16:19.559 --> 00:16:23.759 those kinds of trends. In the spring, all the snakes, 292 00:16:23.799 --> 00:16:25.039 many of the snakes are going to be coming out 293 00:16:25.039 --> 00:16:27.279 of hibernation, so they're going to be basking and looking 294 00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:29.399 for food. That's when a lot of people see them. 295 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:32.440 In the falls, when the vipers are looking for mates, 296 00:16:32.519 --> 00:16:34.399 so they're going to be moving around, more people are 297 00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:37.000 going to see them. Then late summer, that's when the 298 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:40.120 babies hatch or are born, and so you get tons 299 00:16:40.200 --> 00:16:42.159 of requests to identify babies. 300 00:16:42.600 --> 00:16:46.080 So dead of winter is kind of like a quiet 301 00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:46.919 snake time. 302 00:16:47.320 --> 00:16:50.000 Yeah, this is my downtime. That's why I can talk 303 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:53.399 and I'm not identifying lots of snakes right now. 304 00:16:53.840 --> 00:16:57.600 Again, how I was able to sequester him for hours 305 00:16:57.840 --> 00:17:02.080 in a Hampton in Well? Why are people so freaked 306 00:17:02.120 --> 00:17:07.200 out by snakes, reptiles, amphibians. I personally, I'm down with them, 307 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:10.920 I'm totally fine with them. But I have a certain 308 00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:13.880 brother in law I'm not gonna mention him by name. Okay, 309 00:17:13.880 --> 00:17:15.960 I talked to my sister Celeste, and I can tell 310 00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:18.319 you a little more so. My brother in law is 311 00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:21.920 a professional heavy metal guitarist. Like he travels all over 312 00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:23.839 the world, that is his job. He has hair down 313 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:26.319 to his waist, he wears all black. He plays a 314 00:17:26.359 --> 00:17:29.359 flying v guitar, and I have seen him flip off 315 00:17:29.480 --> 00:17:33.079 amphitheaters much to the crowds glee. You do not mess 316 00:17:33.079 --> 00:17:35.400 with dudes like this, You just don't. But when it 317 00:17:35.440 --> 00:17:39.200 comes to snakes, the dude just cannot even He is 318 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:41.759 like a wonderful brother in law. He's a great person, 319 00:17:41.839 --> 00:17:45.200 and I find this to be his most endearing characteristic. 320 00:17:45.559 --> 00:17:49.000 He hates them. And I asked about this, my sister 321 00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:51.799 texted me, I believe he once walked off a photo 322 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:55.359 shoot solely at the idea a snake could be there. 323 00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:59.480 He's a very tough looking person, but he can't even 324 00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:02.920 see when TV. Why are some people freaked up with them? 325 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:03.000 Like? 326 00:18:03.039 --> 00:18:04.119 Have you found. 327 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:08.720 Yeah, we don't have the answer for that, but it's 328 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:11.279 definitely the case. Believe it or not. You're not the 329 00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:13.480 first person to tell me that you know somebody that's. 330 00:18:13.319 --> 00:18:14.880 Scared of snake shocking. 331 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:19.440 Yeah, it is really common. And there are some folks 332 00:18:19.480 --> 00:18:22.759 that point to research that say babies have this innate 333 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:26.440 ability to recognize snakes, and that suggests that we have 334 00:18:26.559 --> 00:18:30.720 this we're born with this fear. And I'm not entirely 335 00:18:30.759 --> 00:18:34.319 convinced of those arguments. I think that we may have 336 00:18:34.680 --> 00:18:38.599 this innatebility to recognize snakes and react to them, but 337 00:18:38.839 --> 00:18:45.920 society helps push that initial reaction into fear. Ask anybody 338 00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:48.720 that does educational shows with snakes, and you could see 339 00:18:48.759 --> 00:18:51.720 the kids running up. They want to touch it, they 340 00:18:51.759 --> 00:18:54.279 want to feel it, they want to ask questions about it, 341 00:18:54.319 --> 00:18:56.160 and in the back of the room, their parents are 342 00:18:56.359 --> 00:18:59.400 really scared. And then eventually the kids see the parents 343 00:18:59.400 --> 00:19:04.640 and they get scared too. So I think it's largely 344 00:19:05.240 --> 00:19:09.119 society that influences something biological in us. 345 00:19:09.599 --> 00:19:13.200 Maybe it's maybe it's biblical lore. Maybe it's just like, oh, yeah, 346 00:19:13.200 --> 00:19:15.839 I've heard of these guys. They're troublemakers. Man. For you 347 00:19:15.880 --> 00:19:17.960 know what, I'm gonna have to put on underpants. It's 348 00:19:17.960 --> 00:19:20.640 just going to be a downward spiral. So if you 349 00:19:20.680 --> 00:19:23.960 have children and you're afraid of snakes, you should bury 350 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:26.519 your emotions and appear as though you're not bothered. 351 00:19:27.920 --> 00:19:30.680 Yeah, I think it's I think it's well of Parenting 352 00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:34.079 is not my expertise, but I think that it's important 353 00:19:34.119 --> 00:19:39.079 to let kids explore their curiosity and not get caught 354 00:19:39.160 --> 00:19:40.680 up in what you might be scared of. 355 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:46.720 Have you had any reptiles or amphibians or other wildlifey 356 00:19:46.839 --> 00:19:48.319 type of things as pets. 357 00:19:49.319 --> 00:19:52.799 Yeah. Growing up, I would catch everything that I could 358 00:19:52.839 --> 00:19:55.799 and then hide it in tanks in the basement, you know, 359 00:19:55.920 --> 00:19:58.920 beg my parents to buy me whatever it was crawling 360 00:19:58.920 --> 00:20:01.279 around at the pet store too, So I did have 361 00:20:01.319 --> 00:20:04.119 a lot of lizards and snakes and fish and salamanners 362 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:08.000 and things like that. I was allowed to catch things 363 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:10.160 from the wild, but I had to let them go 364 00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:11.880 in two weeks. That was the compromise. 365 00:20:12.359 --> 00:20:16.920 You had a Fortnite clause exactly, like after one fortnight, 366 00:20:17.480 --> 00:20:19.240 the beast shall be returned. 367 00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:20.880 To the forest or you turn into one. 368 00:20:21.079 --> 00:20:25.079 Yeah, do you have a do you have a favorite animal? 369 00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:28.279 I'm sorry, that's such a dumb question. I don't care well. 370 00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:29.880 I get asked it a lot, so you think i'd 371 00:20:29.960 --> 00:20:35.480 have an answer ready. I kind of like I like 372 00:20:35.559 --> 00:20:37.759 them overall. I like how they're interacting with each other. 373 00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:40.720 I like that each species that we know today has 374 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:43.759 these unique look and these unique strategies and just fit 375 00:20:43.880 --> 00:20:48.640 into the biodiversity puzzle in a different way. There's something 376 00:20:48.680 --> 00:20:52.160 about Eastern diamondback routle snakes, which are just really impressive. 377 00:20:52.680 --> 00:20:54.960 They're just they're the largest rottle snake in the world. 378 00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:58.559 They're only found in the southeastern United States, and they 379 00:20:58.640 --> 00:21:01.279 just have this quiet power dignity about them. 380 00:21:01.680 --> 00:21:05.559 So it's so dignity. Are there any just snakes or 381 00:21:05.640 --> 00:21:10.160 just clowns, like just like the just idiots? 382 00:21:10.799 --> 00:21:12.559 Uh? So, I guess I would think of the hog 383 00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:17.200 no snake, and it has all these strategies for uh, 384 00:21:17.640 --> 00:21:21.079 not getting eaten. Basically, it's going to play dead, it's 385 00:21:21.079 --> 00:21:26.920 gonna puke up its last meal. It's gonnah. What's the 386 00:21:27.000 --> 00:21:27.839 language on this? 387 00:21:28.359 --> 00:21:29.359 Oh you can say whatever. 388 00:21:29.519 --> 00:21:32.200 It shit's all over itself and you if you try 389 00:21:32.279 --> 00:21:35.960 to catch it. So I guess I I you know, 390 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:38.279 these are all great strategies for not getting eaten, but 391 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:40.880 they do kind of make them seem a little silly. 392 00:21:41.359 --> 00:21:44.599 So hog noose snake down to clown? Good to know, 393 00:21:45.319 --> 00:21:48.359 that's right? So did you always want to do this 394 00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:51.000 or at what point did you decide I'm going to 395 00:21:51.079 --> 00:21:55.119 be a scientist who studies wildlife or did it kind 396 00:21:55.119 --> 00:21:57.119 of evolve where all of a sudden you were like, oh, whoa. 397 00:21:57.160 --> 00:21:58.960 I looked up and here I am. I guess I'm 398 00:21:59.000 --> 00:21:59.400 doing this. 399 00:22:00.880 --> 00:22:04.559 I've always been interested in creatures, and if you had 400 00:22:04.599 --> 00:22:06.519 asked me in second grade what I wanted to be 401 00:22:06.599 --> 00:22:09.799