Snakes might seem pretty scary, but did you know they’re essential in maintaining the balance of their ecosystems?

In this episode, Amelia is joined by Australian snake wrangler and wildlife ecologist Damian Lettoof. The two unpack the crucial role snakes play in regulating local food populations and discuss why the health of many top tier predator snakes are in decline.

• Why we need snakes in some environments [00:42]
• Catching them alive – how Damian collects snake data [07:46]
• Reducing our impact on wetlands and snake habitats [10:46]
• Damian’s experience handling 500 tiger snakes [13:08]
• How to not get bitten [19:23]
• Damian’s top two snake stories [22:06]
• How research is impacting the future of snakes [30:38]

Learn more

• news.curtin.edu.au/media-releases/tiger-snakes-tell-more-about-local-wetlands-pollution-levels/
• abc.net.au/news/2020-12-23/perth-urban-wetlands-home-to-hundreds-of-tiger-snakes/13002264
• facebook.com/curtinuniversity/videos/my-curtinresearch-experience-damian-lettoof/769353000337226/

Connect with our guests

• twitter.com/lettsgetsnakes
• staffportal.curtin.edu.au/staff/profile/view/damian-lettoof-2f2a8a90/
• linkedin.com/in/damian-lettoof-78905a71/

Got any questions, or suggestions for future topics?

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Curtin University supports academic freedom of speech. The views expressed in The Future Of podcast may not reflect those of the university.

Music: OKAY by 13ounce Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Music promoted by Audio Library

You can read the full transcript for the episode at https://thefutureof.simplecast.com/episodes/snakes/transcript.