Hey all! 2022 was a crazy year and I got behind on the podcast. I’m so excited to be getting episodes out that are long overdue, however some of the information may be a bit out of date. I recommend giving our guest, Eliza Stott, a follow and checking out the amazing things she and Women in Wildlife has done since this program was recorded!

This interview was with Eliza Stott, founder of Women in Wildlife and an amazing zookeeper and animal enthusiast. We chatted about what it takes to get a zookeeping job in Australia, her studies on parasites in wombats and other Australian species, and she walked me through her amazing travel plans to work with animals around the world (be sure to take a look at her social media to see her adventures!)

Thanks as always for your support, looking forward to having more episodes out soon 😊 Take care of yourself y’all!

Find Eliza on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biologist.eliza

Support Women in Wildlife: https://www.instagram.com/women.in.wildlife

WIW Website: https://women-in-wildlife.com/

WIW Private Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/266573704995652

And don't forget to...

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Growing up falling in ponds looking for critters and observing frogs in vernal pools on her dad’s property, Ashley Dezan has been a reptile and amphibian lover for life. Passionate about advancing the keeping of rarer animals, Ashley is the owner and operator of Northern Lights Reptile Imports. This was an awesome conversation learning about the ins and outs of reptile imports and exports and hearing about her experiences working with some really unique species!

Find Ashley on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NLRImports

Find Ashley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northernlightsreptileimports/

And don't forget to...

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Follow the Host: www.instagram.com/difalcoreptiles/

Check out our sponsor Vivtech: bit.ly/Vivtech-Products

Nicole Tam is an entomologist and herp enthusiast. Growing up with a love for arthropods, Nicole went on to conduct research on vector-borne diseases, mosquitos, and the reproductive cycle of tsetse flies. In addition to her work, Nicole talks about her experience with entomological museums and caring for and breeding beaked snakes!

Tsetse fly image: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/A-Life-cycle-of-the-tsetse-fly-B-Viviparous-reproduction-cycle-of-tsetse-flies_fig2_329179423

Find Nicole on Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/nt.buglord

Find Nicole on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poikilo_/

And don't forget to...

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Shannon Wild is a world-renowned wildlife photographer and cinematographer. Her work has taken her all over the world coming face to face with some of the most amazing animals many of us will only see on TV (because Shannon got the footage for us!). In this episode, we talk in depth about how Shannon got her start in photography, her adventures tracking a melanistic leopard through the jungle in India, and some of her other incredible experiences with animals ranging from Komodo Dragons to Cheetahs to Malagasy Giant Chameleons!

Follow Shannon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannon__wild/

Check out “Wild in Africa: Bracelets for Wildlife”: https://wildinafrica.store/

Watch “Pursuit of the Black Panther”: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/shannon-wild-pursuit-black-panther/

Watch “The Wilds” The documentary about Shannon and Russell! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw-qEKR5uv8

And don't forget to...

Follow the Pod: www.instagram.com/modernmedusapodcast/

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Check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/ModernMedusaPodcast?

Check out our sponsor Vivtech: bit.ly/Vivtech-Products

This week I sat down with Laura Mae Riepl and we learn all about isopods! Not only is Laura at the forefront of bringing isopods to the layperson through her partnership providing clean up crews to Petsmart but we also talk about how she manages and maintains over 500 isopod cultures! We learn all about her tips for feeding and housing isopods, talk about the legalities of shipping isopods, and we express a mutual amazement (and a bit of fear) for the giant marine isopods!

Check out Smug Bug and learn about all your isopod needs here! https://www.smug-bug.com/

Follow Laura on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smugbug

Follow Laura on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smug_bugs

And don't forget to...

Follow the Pod: www.instagram.com/modernmedusapodcast/

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Check out our sponsor Vivtech: https://bit.ly/Vivtech-Products

This week I took some time to answer questions about me, give an update on the podcast, and honor animal advocate and enthusiast Betty White.

If you want to buy merch to support the Betty White Challenge, look here: https://difalco-reptiles.creator-spring.com/

Follow the Pod: www.instagram.com/modernmedusapodcast/

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Check out our Sponsor, VivTech Products! www.vivtechproducts.com/

Want to learn more? Check out the sources from my research here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_White

https://woofrepublic.com/blog/betty-white-dogs

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/02/us/betty-white-animal-charities-iyw/index.html

https://www.southernliving.com/culture/celebrities/betty-white-animals-hurricane-katrina-audubon-aquarium

https://www.cnet.com/news/betty-white-challenge-urges-fans-to-donate-to-animals-in-late-stars-honor/

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/betty-white-animal-advocate-pet-set-la-zoo-1235145541/

https://www.today.com/pets/betty-white-animal-lover-rcna10067

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/betty-white-on-her-love-for-animals-92610121/

https://www.lazoo.org/explore-your-zoo/blog/bettys-animal-business/

Image credit: Getty Images

This week I had the pleasure of speaking with two amazing Aussie keepers – Tie Eipper & Emma Dixon! Join us as we talk all about how Emma and Tie got into herps, laws and rules regarding keeping reptiles in Australia, and how the reptile hobby differs in the US and Australia!

Tie & Emma are admins for the HERpers facebook group and they both have their own businesses as well! Tie focuses on elapids, perenties, and other cool venomous with Nature 4 You and Emma is building some incredible jungle carpet morph projects!

Follow Nature 4 You on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/naturefouryou

Follow Nature 4 You on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/wildlifedemonstrations

Follow Zemac Reptiles on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/zemac_reptiles

Follow Zemac Reptiles on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/zemacreptiles

Join HERpers! https://www.facebook.com/groups/2741262562643265

And don't forget to...

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Follow the Host: www.instagram.com/difalcoreptiles/

Check out our Sponsor, VivTech Products! www.vivtechproducts.com/

We all turn to our local reptile shops when we need some supplies, feeders, or maybe a new animal, but what does it take to keep that shop up and running? This week I got to sit down with Amanda Rua of Wiregrass Exotics in Ozark, Alabama to ask all those questions! Join us as we cover everything from sourcing healthy animals to finances for opening a new store to having to turn people away when they come in asking for vape pens! And don’t forget to check out Wiregrass at all the spots below!

Check out their Morph Market! https://www.morphmarket.com/stores/wiregrassexotics/

Follow Amanda on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/wiregrassexotics

Like Amanda on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wiregrasspetsandsupplies

Support the podcast on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ModernMedusaPodcast

And don't forget to...

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If you are looking to decorate, you need to check out the incredible artwork of Adeline Robinson! Adeline is a passionate herp keeper turned full-time artist whose work can be seen at shows across the country. Join us as we talk about Adeline’s journey into art as a career, her experience keeping animals (specifically tree monitors) and how she works to encourage other reptile artists!

Sorry it’s been a bit since the last upload! Life got in the way and I’ve been physically, mentally, and emotionally drained for the last month. I have 3 amazing podcasts (including this one!) already recorded and ready to go, so I’m ready to get back on track and continue to push out some awesome content!

Buy some art! https://www.adelinerobinsonart.com/

Follow Adeline on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adeline_robinson_art/

Like Adeline on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdelineRobinsonArt

Support the podcast on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ModernMedusaPodcast

And don't forget to...

Follow the Pod: https://www.instagram.com/modernmedusapodcast/

Follow the Host: https://www.instagram.com/difalcoreptiles/

Check out our Sponsor, VivTech Products! https://www.vivtechproducts.com/

This week I got the opportunity to talk with another incredible scientist -- Chelsea Connor! Chelsea is PhD student researching anoles and founder of the Twitter game #DidYouAnole? Outside her studies, Chelsea is an advocate for BIPOC representation in STEM with her work on Black Birders Week & BlackAF in Stem. Join us as we talk about her advocacy, her research, and we discuss her home country of Dominica!

Follow Chelsea on Instagram: @OutToChelsea

Follow Chelsea on Twitter: @ChelseaHerps

Chelsea’s LinkTree (art, affiliates, and research): https://linktr.ee/ChelseaHerps

Follow BlackAFinSTEM: https://www.blackafinstem.com/

Check out MISS Elasmo: https://www.misselasmo.org/

And don't forget to...

Follow the Pod: https://www.instagram.com/modernmedusapodcast/

Follow the Host: https://www.instagram.com/difalcoreptiles/

Check out our Sponsor, VivTech Products! https://www.vivtechproducts.com/