Pascal Title delves into the evolutionary history and biodiversity of snakes, exploring their unique characteristics, diets and habitats. Host Heather Lynch and Title, an assistant professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University, define characteristics of snakes, and discuss speciation and diversity within the group, as well as the role of snakes in ecosystems. They touch upon the impacts of climate change on snakes and the importance of museum collections and scientific research in understanding historical and future biodiversity.

Learn more with:

• “The macroevolutionary singularity of snakes”, by Pascal O. Title, Sonal Singhal, Michael C. Grunder, Gabriel C. Costa, R. Alexander Pyron, Timothy J. Colston, Maggie R. Grundler, Ivan Prates, Natasha Stepanova, Marc E.H. Jones, Lucas B.Q. Cavalcanti, Guarino R. Colli, Nicolas Di-Poï, Stephen C. Donnellan, Craig Moritz, Daniel O. Mesquita, Eric R. Pianka, Stephen A. Smith, Laurie J. Vitt, Daniel L. Rabosky.
• “Coral snakes predict the evolution of mimicry,” by Allison R, Davis Rabosky, Christian L Cox, Daniel L Rabosky, Pascal O Title, Iris A Holmes, Anat Feldman, Jimmy A Mcguire
• “Chasing the Niche: Escaping Climate Change Threats in Place, Time, and Space”, by Ranjan Muthukrishnan, Tara M. Smiley, Pascal O. Title, Adam M. Fudickar, Alex E. Jahn, Jennifer A. Lau
• “Ecological interactions between arthropods and small vertebrates in a lowland Amazon rainforest,” by Rudolf von May, Emanuele Biggi, Heidy Cárdenas, M. Isabel Diaz, Consuelo Alarcón, Valia Herrera, Roy Santa-Cruz, Francesco Tomasinelli, Erin P. Westeen, Ciara M. Sánchez-Paredes, Joanna G. Larson, Pascal O. Title, Maggie R. Grundler, Michael C. Grundler, Alison R. Davis Rabosky, Daniel L. Rabosky
• “Rapid increase in snake dietary diversity and complexity following the end-Cretaceous mass extinction”, by Michael C. Grundler, Daniel L. Rabosky

Skip ahead to the chapter that interests you:

• 00:34 The Fascinating World of Snakes
• 01:13 Meet the Herpetologist: Pascal Title
• 01:34 Understanding Snakes: Evolution and Characteristics
• 06:13 Why Are People Afraid of Snakes? 
• 07:46 Pascal's Journey into Herpetology
• 11:48 Research on Snake Diversity and Evolution
• 19:19 Climate Change and Snake Adaptability
• 32:34 The Importance of Museum Collections

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C4E Presents is a production of Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth.

Host: Heather Lynch

Editor: J.D. Allen

Producer: Jordan Vallone

Program Manager: Jennifer Gilday