247 Big Brains Ain't Free
From Herpetological Highlights by Herpetological Highlights
May 12, 2026 · 37 min · Episode 247
About this episode
This episode discusses the evolution of intelligence in reptiles and amphibians, alongside the prevalence of cannibalism in snakes.
Big brains are very useful, but they cost ENERGY and RESOURCES, at least for mammals and birds. Now a new study has shed light on what determines whether reptiles and amphibian species have evolved to be clever, or nice but dim. We also discuss cannibalism by snakes, which is actually pretty common albeit difficult to document due to their secretive lifestyles. Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com Main Paper References: Song Z, Griesser M, Schuppli C, Van Schaik CP. 2023. Does the expensive brain hypothesis apply to amphibians and reptiles? BMC Ecology and Evolution 23:77. DOI: 10.1186/s12862-023-02188-w. Falcão BB, São Pedro VA, Entiauspe‐Neto OM. 2026. Occurrence and evolution of cannibal behaviour in extant snakes. Biological Reviews 101:644–664. DOI: 10.1111/brv.70097. Other Links/Mentions: Rana catesbeiana call by Carlos Davidson and Cynthia Kaufman, from AmphibiaWeb. 2026. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 30 Apr 2026…
People in this episode
Host: Herpetological Highlights
Topics covered
- brain evolution
- reptiles
- amphibians
- cannibalism
- energy resources
- animal behavior
Keywords
- brain evolution
- reptiles
- amphibians
- cannibalism
- energy resources
- animal behavior
- study
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
Books & works: BMC Ecology and Evolution, Biological Reviews, Treehouse, The Passion HiFi
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