So Much Pingle

Hello everyone, and welcome to the last episode of Season Six! I have several pending episodes recorded in Peru earlier this year, but I felt the need to bump this one up in the queue. Kevin Messenger’s new book on the Venomous Snakes of China was published recently, and it’s an amazing publication. I reached out to Kevin to schedule an interview the same day I received my copy. To find out more about the new book, tours, and much more, visit the Herping China website. You can also follow Kevin on Facebook and Instagram. It was fun to talk with Kevin again and I hope to herp in China sometime. The seventh season of the podcast starts in May, and I want to say thank you, to all of you, for listening. Whether you listened to just one, or some, or all of the episodes, I thank you. Additional thanks to those of you who reached out with feedback. PATRONS: 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. While I’m at it, I want to give a shout-out to the show’s most recent patron, Torben Platt! Thank you so much, Torben. MERCH!!! T-shirts and other swag are available now at the SoMuchPingle Threadless Store. More designs are in the pipeline. Thank you in advance! 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! 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

Hi everyone! The first show of 2026 turns out to be another edition of Herp Science Sunday! Alex and I had an interesting discussion with Justin Lee, who is currently working on his PhD at the University of Michigan. The bulk of our conversation centered around the genus Oligodon, of which Justin is a subject matter expert. In just a few years, he has authored and co-authored a number of papers on Kukri snakes, describing new species, and producing an updated phylogeny of Oligodon in 2024. It’s an entertaining segment featuring a crazy-cool snake genus, and an up-and-coming young herpetologist. Pod Blog: additional material supporting this episode can be found at www.fieldherping.org. Miguel Ángel de la Torre Loranca was kidnapped from his home and taken from his beloved family in late November. Miguel is a world-renowned herpetologist who has contributed to the description of numerous species, protection of habitat, and has played a pivotal role in facilitating herpetological fieldwork, conservation initiatives, and expeditions for countless Mexican and international biologists. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help his wife and children during this difficult time – if you can help out even just a little, it would mean a lot. Thank you. The wildlife conservation magazine Mongabay has an article with more details on Miguel’s work. PATRONS: 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. While I’m at it, I want to give a shout-out to the show’s most recent patron, Torben Platt! Thank you so much, Torben. MERCH!!! T-shirts and other swag are available now at the SoMuchPingle Threadless Store. More designs are in the pipeline. Thank you in advance! 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! 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

This episode has a few firsts – it’s the first time I’ve done a recording while sitting at my dining room table, and it’s the first time I’ve interviewed someone from my neighborhood. Nathan Kutok lives just a few blocks away, and he’s an up-and-coming herpetologist who is involved in some interesting projects early in his career. This episode focuses on Nathan’s recent trip to Iran, and we talk about his motivations for going, and some of the political aspects of such an adventure. And of course, we talk about some of the interesting herps Nathan encountered as well. 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. MERCH!!! T-shirts and other swag are available now at the SoMuchPingle Threadless Store. More designs are in the pipeline. Thank you in advance! 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! 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  

I met Zeev Ginsburg at Snake Road in southern Illinois a few years ago, and it’s been a pleasure getting to know him and spending some time herping together. We’ve had some interesting conversations, and I’ve been wanting to get him on the show for some time, but we put it off for a bit until he was ready to restart his excellent podcast, Wood Fired Herping. Zeev has released his first post-hiatus show and so the time was right to have a chat about his podcast, about herping, and much, much more as the cliché goes. 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. I want to give a shout-out to all the folks I saw down at Snake Road last weekend. Way too many to name everyone, but it was nice to see old friends and new friends down there, some coming great distances, and these days that is the primary reason I keep going down to the Shawnee National Forest every October somewhere around my birthday. I haven’t missed a year since 1994 and I think I want to keep that streak going. Two special shout-outs, one to Jake Scott, for his birthday poem, brilliant stuff, Jake, thank you my friend. I also want to thank Scott Albert, old school herper and the owner and winegrower of the Holotype Wine Company down in the Shawnee hills. Scott gifted me with several bottles of his fine product, which incorporate herps in the names and labels. and I’ve been enjoying them this week. 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! 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

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  

Another special episode, in support of Snake Week, July 13th thru the 19th . This episode features a panel discussion with Bryan Hughes of Rattlesnake Solutions, Cale Morris from the Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary, and Rachel Pikstein from Pikstein Lab and one of the coordinators of Snake Week. The four of us have an interesting panel discussion about human and snake interactions. You can’t have a discussion of this sort without dipping into education and outreach efforts, so those threads are woven into the mix as well. A couple of earlier episodes related to our discussion come to mind – I talked with Bryan way back in Episode 4, about his company Rattlesnake Solutions and the rattlesnake relocation work they do, and the human interactions that come with that effort. And that show led to an interview with Dr. Heather Bateman, an Associate Professor at Arizona State University, about her research on human and snake interactions as part of a collaboration with Bryan and others. That’s Episode 44 in season two. And THAT is an interesting show, and you should check it out if you haven’t already. I am sorry I did not bring it up during our discussion, but you know, my brain. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to check out the many events associated with Snake Week at snakeweek.org, the list is quite impressive and folks, not everything is a remote lecture, there are some participatory activities as well. I’m proud to be a small part of this awesome project, and I look forward to checking out some of the events myself. 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

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  

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  

Hello everyone! Episode 110 features another edition of Herp Science Sunday with Dr. Alex Krohn. Alex and I had a crazy cool conversation with Dr. Evan Grant, of the Northeastern Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative at the USGS Eastern Ecological Research Center, Dr. Grant is a co-author on a paper regarding range-wide salamander densities, focusing on the Redback Salamander (Plethodon cinereus), and he guides us through some mind-blowing discoveries about these mostly invisible creatures of the woodland realm. The paper we discussed in the episode is titled “Range-wide salamander densities reveal a key component of terrestrial vertebrate biomass in eastern North American forests”, and was published in 2024 in the Biology Letters of the Royal Society Publishing, Vol 20 (https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0033). If you would like a PDF copy of the paper, email me at somuchpingle@gmail.com and I will send it to you! Here is the link for the Salamander Population & Adaptation Research Collaboration Network (SPARCNet). 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). 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

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

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode One Hundred and Six! And I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there It’s Thanksgiving weekend and I want to take a moment to thank all of you out there listening to the show. I appreciate you. And thanks to all of the folks who have come on the show to talk with me, when the natural tendency for most of us is to run from anyone pointing a microphone at your face 🙂 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). NEW BOOK PLUG: Coming out in just a few days, it’s The Natural History of the Turtles of Iowa, authored by Terry VanDeWalle and Dr. Neil P. Bernstein. This book is an in-depth look at the natural history of every turtle species found in Iowa, much more than just a field guide. It is published by the University of Iowa Press, and It is available for pre-order right now through the Press and will be released on December 3. If you order through the University of Iowa Press it can be received in time for Christmas. I encourage you to order directly from the University of Iowa Press and skip the big billionaire middleman if you can! Have you ever seen something noteworthy in the herp world, and wondered how to submit a natural history note? You’re in luck, because Dr. Alex Krohn and Dr. Andrew Durso are here to lay out the process for you. It takes some work, but it can be done, even if you’re not a scientist. As we discussed in this episode, I’ve included a link here to the SSAR’s open access to past issues of Herp Review, which provides many examples of how a natural history note is constructed. Thanks for talking with me, Alex and 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, tips for herping better, etc. -Mike  

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

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode One Hundred and Two! And while we’re at it, 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. Well my summer hiatus is over and it’s time to start cranking out the content once again. I really needed a break, not only to get the creative juices flowing again, but to also build a little backlog of recorded episodes and to solve some technical issues. Many technical issues actually, but it’s good to be back in the chair and talking with you all. 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. 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! In late August and early September I spent three weeks in Indonesia, starting with Bali, and then moving east to Flores and Komodo and Rincha in the Lesser Sundas chain, and then finishing up the trip with some days in southwestern Borneo. The trip was organized by Dr. Andrew Durso, who you may remember from season 3 episode 65, and Dave Davenport of EcoQuest Travel. The trip was built around the World Congress of Herpetology, held in Borneo this year, and so we had some herpetologists on the tour, including Rory Telemeco and Dan Warner. I recorded an interview with Dan and Rory at a hotel layover in Surabaya, Java, they were gracious enough to give me a chunk of their time. We talked about some of our experiences on the trip and then we got into some of the herp research projects that these gentlemen are working on. Thanks for talking with me, Rory and Dan! 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