Episode 88: Invasive Tegus with Rachel Pikstein

Hey folks, as always, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. This is just a little episode marking the beginning of a show hiatus.  When I was a kid, the auto plant in my town would occasionally shut down for a few months, for "re-tooling" - something necessary when they switched from making sedans to making mini-vans, for example. That's what is happening with So Much Pingle - some re-tooling.  I have some new software to learn, a review of the entire production process needs to happen, I've got to come up with a plan to convert and upload existing episodes to YouTube, and get some kinks ironed out with SMP merchandise.  All that is difficult to do when I'm working to bang out episodes, so I'm taking a few months off to catch my breath, think some thoughts, and then bring the show back online. A little summer vacation. 100 episodes is a good pausing place. Thanks to Josh Holbrook for stepping in and helping me explain what's up!  And thanks for listening everyone! The show email is [email protected], should you have any questions or comments during the short time off. See you all soon and thanks! -Mike

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode One Hundred!  And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. I can’t deny it, it feels pretty good to reach the one hundred show mark, four and a half years and one pandemic after I started this project.  The experience has been all the things – interesting, challenging, frustrating, and ultimately, rewarding.  I listen to a few podcasts that, at the end of the show, list all the people involved – the writers, researchers, editors and recording engineers, production assistants, et cetera, and now and then I think “wow, what could I accomplish with a crew like that?”  Because you know I wear all those hats on this little show.  But that’s all on the front end, and for me, the back end is where I’m blessed. Go ahead and make your jokes, I’ll wait. On the back end are all the folks who listen to the show, promote the show, support the show (both emotionally and financially), and of course, come on the show and talk with me. THAT has been amazing. 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 [email protected]). A few months ago I started thinking about what the hundredth show should be, and I had a number of ideas, but one in particular kept coming back to me.  I had attempted to record a Big Year episode as far back as 2022, but each time there were problems – hardware failures, scheduling issues, you name it.  I had chucked that whole project to the side with some disgust and some sadness, and moved on.  But I decided to give it one last try, for the hundo, and Josh Holbrook, Matt Ratcliffe, Jake Scott, and Tim Warfel were down to give it another shot as well.  This last effort itself took several tries, and in the end, we got it done.  It’s recorded on Zoom instead of Squadcast, which I normally use, so instead of multiple tracks to clean up there’s just one.  Zoom is not the greatest recording tool but fortunately, most of the recording is clean, and there’s only a few fuzzy bits here and there. I left in a few minutes of pre-show banter because these guys crack me up and it’s a peek at how the sausage is made. 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 [email protected], 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 Ninety Nine!  And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. This show is dedicated to the memory of Gary Pinson.  Gary lived over in the Missouri Ozarks and every October he and his family would come over to Snake Road in southern Illinois, which is where I first met him.  It got to be a thing every year, meeting up with Gary and his crew, walking and talking on the road.  He was a good man, a gentle man, with a twinkle in his eye and always ready with a story.  I will miss him and so will so many other folks who come down to Snake Road on the regular.  My sympathies to Preston, Gregory, Amy and the rest of the Pinson family – I’m quite sure Gary’s at a McDonald’s somewhere. 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 [email protected]). Just prior to heading down to Peru in May, I heard from Devon Graham, who is the director of Project Amazonas. Devon told me our group would be sharing the Santa Cruz field station with some folks doing venom research, and that certainly sounded intriguing, Arriving at Santa Cruz we met with Ella Guedouar, Carter Haley, and Grant McCargar, and we got a peek at the research they were conducting.  A very gracious trio, they were cool with me and Josh and all of his students doing some shoulder surfing as they extracted venom and worked up their serpent subjects.  And they graciously agreed to talk with me about their research. 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 [email protected], 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 Ninety Eight!  And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. After traveling for the better part of a month, it's good to be back home and back in the podcast studio. 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 [email protected]). I captured this episode in Suriname back in mid-May, towards the end of our herp trip there.  It was recorded around the swimming pool in the heat of the afternoon on one of our few down days in Suriname.   Energy levels were a bit low given the heat and the swimming pool and some adult beverages, but the lads responded and gave good accounts of our adventures there. I hope you enjoy this in-the-field episode, and I want to thank Jeremy Pixton, Matt Cage, Peter Mooney, John Burris, Pat Kain, and Shawn LaRochelle for talking with me and a special shout-out to our pal Dermot Bowden, who had to leave a few days early and missed the discussion, it was good to see you again Dermot.  Special thanks to the folks at Unlock Nature - Dick Lock, Lieke Verwoerd, Marcos Carello, Soraya Sodrono, Matthew Wallace, Fenne, Yordi, and all the other folks who helped to make our trip a success. 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 [email protected], 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 Ninety Seven!  And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. I just got back from a great herping trip to Suriname.  You may remember my conversation with Dick and Lieke back in episode 79 and it was fun to go visit and see how they operate herp tours there, and the answer is they do very well.  I was with a small group and we saw a lot of fabulous herps.  At any rate I am back home for just a few days, allowing me to get this time sensitive episode assembled and in your ears, so to speak.  I return to Peru in just a few days to assist Josh Holbrook with his tropical ecology class, so the next episode will come out in early June. SMP Patrons! I want to thank James Burnham for his contribution to the So Much Pingle podcast, via Patreon. Much appreciated, James, 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 [email protected]). Oh yeah. If you’ve been with the show from the early days or you’ve worked through the back catalog of episodes, you may recall me talking with Dr. Emily Taylor way back in Episode 12.  Well Emily is back with some exciting topics and it’s always a pleasure to talk with her and catch some of that vibrant energy she has. And below are some links for books and cams and papers: Order link for the California Snakes book and other merchandise Project Rattlecam website, and Project Rattlecam on YouTube Link to Savannah Weaver and colleague's paper on Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizards. Open access. Link to paper "Effects of relational and instrumental messaging on human perception of rattlesnakes" Open access 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 [email protected], 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 Ninety Six!  And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. It’s the last Sunday in April which means that this is the last episode in Season Four – we start Season Five on the first of May and I should have a show out around the middle of May, after I return from a trip to Suriname. 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 [email protected]). HERPETOLOGY CAMP FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS!  Don't forget, Professor Josh Holbrook will be hosting another herpetology camp this year at Montreat College in North Carolina, The first week will be held June 23-28, 2024, and an extension will be held June 16-21, 2024 (the week before). For more information, see the Herpetology Camp link at www.montreat.edu/compass   This episode is the last set of origin stories that I recorded on my second Peru trip in February of this year.  Starting us off is a conversation with Dane Conley, followed by a tag-team interview with Lucas Dunn and Brady McGowan.  Thanks guys!  It was good to talk with you all! 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 [email protected], 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 Ninety Five!  And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. SMP Patrons! I want to thank a couple of new Patreoners! – Derek Gillespie and Paul Duren, thank you both so much for supporting the show!  Much appreciated!  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 [email protected]). Well, if you’re a fan of the longer episodes then you are in luck – this one was a bit of a challenge, with 13 individual recordings to stitch together, and all recorded in the field to boot.  In late March I spent a long day in the field with Dr. Michael Dreslik, or Drez as folks call him, and his field team, doing field surveys for Massasaugas here in my home state of Illinois.  Mike has been studying saugas for a quarter century now, and it seemed like a good time to check in with him. Lots of parts to this episode – there’s an interview with Mike to start off, and then we go out in the field to look for massasaugas.  I also talked briefly with everyone on Drez’s survey team, and these little vignettes are scattered throughout the episode.  I briefly touch base with Mike near the end, and then the last is a chat with Xander Perelman,  who is Mike’s PhD candidate, where we talk about some of the other interesting projects that he is working on with saugas and pygmy rattlers, as part of his PhD work.  Oh yeah and Xander provides a lot of narrative during the field recordings, doing a lot of explaining, and I thank him for that. I want to thank Dr. Michael Dreslik for talking with me and letting me hang out and help look for those hard-to-spot massasaugas.  Let’s not forget all of the folks on the survey team – Emily Ash, Matt Parry, Joey Cannizzaro, Nick Dunham, Tony Easton, Claire Dietrich, and Xander Perelman. 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 [email protected], 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 Ninety Four!  And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. SMP Patrons! I want to thank a couple of folks for their support - Clint Guadiana, for his contribution via Patreon, and Dave Weber, who made another one-time contribution via PayPal.  Thank you Clint and Dave! 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 [email protected]). Here we go with the eighth installment of Herp Science Sunday with Dr. Alex Krohn.   I’ve really enjoyed doing these shows with Alex, and this one was no exception - a conversation with Dr. Harry Greene on a variety of subjects including Pleistocene rewilding, Bolson Tortoises, a breakdown of serpent prey items, and much, much more.  Harry is a deep thinker and don't be surprised if you find yourself thinking deeply about some of the topics we discuss! 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 [email protected], 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 Ninety Three!  And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there, and happy Ground Hog Day! SMP Patrons! I want to thank Justin Coburn for his contribution to the So Much Pingle podcast, via Patreon. Much appreciated, Justin, 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 [email protected]). Well here we go with another Origin stories episode, recorded just a few weeks ago in Peru.  Most of you know the drill – I sit down on the back deck of my tambo, and have a chat with folks when there’s a little downtime.  And on this occasion, a rainy morning provided me with a captive audience, although we had to slap some mosquitos during the sessions.  This is a three-part origin story, featuring Justin Coburn, Greyson Getty, and Kris Haas. 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 [email protected], 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 Ninety Two!  And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. I want to wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous New Year, and let there be peace for everyone in the days ahead. 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 [email protected]). This episode comes out of a herping trip I made to south Texas earlier this year.  I almost always pack along my field recording kit, and I wasn’t very far along into that trip when I could see the shape of an episode in my mind.  On the last night before heading home, I sat down with Erik McCormick, Kyle Elmore, and Clint Guadiana to record.  Listening in post-production I could hear how tired I was – definitely not at the top of my game but it is what it is.  Before we get to it I want to give a shout-out to John Edward, Isaac Smith, Braden Alexander, and Tim Burkhardt, I really enjoyed hanging out and herping with y’all down in Texas. Kyle's YouTube Channel is Pop Milk! Clint's YouTube channel is Much Ado About Herping Thanks for coming on the show, Hans, it was a great pleasure to talk 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 [email protected], and there’s also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, tips for herping better, etc. -Mike