Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eighty Four!  And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there.

It’s good to be back in the recording studio after a long absence, and I appreciate everyone’s patience while I was out having a good time. I spent several weeks in Thailand, on a herping trip that started in Bangkok and finished at the southern tip of the country, on the border with Malaysia.  I saw some amazing herps and other wildlife, lots of pit vipers including several Wagler’s pit vipers, one of those bucket list serpents for me.

So Much Pingle Patrons! A big thank you to the show’s newest patron, Daren Riedle!  I’m sure you all remember my conversation with Daren back in Episode 78 – that was a fun one and I get a lot of comments about that show.  So thank you so much Daren for supporting the show and for taking part as well!  And as always, I want to thank everyone who keeps the show rolling along. 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]).

So this episode arises out of some singular events that happened in Peru earlier this year.  I was down there with Matt Cage for three separate herp tours, and the crazy bit is that we encountered 7 bushmasters across the three trips – one on the first, FIVE on the second, and one on the last trip in February.  Now, we are happy to get one Lachesis muta on an expedition – there’s no denying that the chance to see a bushmaster is a big draw for our clients – and sometimes we may even find two.  But during our second trip, after five bushmasters were found, I decided to record with some of the folks involved, attempting to capture some of the experience. So please enjoy my conversations with Jill Rials and Michael Moffat, Jeff and Berk, the Brothers Martineau, and Richard Legere.

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 the show!  Mike Pingleton here, and I am your host for these proceedings.  And here we go with Episode Eighty Three, and I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there.  It’s early June here at the So Much Pingle world headquarters, and my flower garden is starting to POP!  It’s a great time if you’re into that sort of thing.

Well I’ve been kind of busy over the last few weeks, helping out with a couple of different herp surveys, and there’s a podcast episode coming out of one of those, which I hope to put out next month if time permits.  I say time permits because I’m leaving for Thailand next week and I won’t get back until July 4th.  I’m happy to get this show out before I leave because the last 4-5 days at home before a trip I am running around like a madman trying to get everything ready, and getting the lawn mowed one more time, stuff like that.  Good problem to have.

So Much Pingle Patrons! As always, I want to thank everyone who keeps the show rolling along. 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]).

Our guests for this episode are Sky Stevens and Sheri Monk, which I recorded months ago in Peru. Why did it take so long you say?  Well, I had some technical issues – let’s call them what they really are, operator error on my part.  When I record in the field, I use a Zoom HN4 recorder, with two Shure microphones cabled in. It’s a lovely rig and I get good results, but on this occasion, I neglected to turn off the Zoom’s built-in omnidirectional microphone and just run the two Shures as per usual.  The result was a lot of static and wind noise, and I had to spend some time learning how to clean that up using Adobe Audition. I’m not an audio engineer and every time I have to dig deeper into audio engineering, I feel like my brain forgets a dozen scientific names to make room.

Thank goodness I didn’t have to ask Sky and Sheri to re-record this episode, because it is a gem.  There are still a few moments of static, notably around the 2 minute, 39 minute, and 1 hour 14 minute marks, my apologies, but the rest of the recording is quite clear.  You may notice some other artifacts – the omnidirectional microphone picks up EVERY buzzing insect, and the birds are a lit louder too, although I’m told some folks enjoy that.  Maybe turn down the volume if you listen with headphones.

Thank you Sky and Sheri!  So much fun talking 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, methods for picking up water snakes, tips for herping better, etc.

-Mike

Hello everyone and welcome to the show!  Mike Pingleton here, and I am your host for these proceedings.  And here we go with Episode Eighty Two, and I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there.  It’s a lovely Sunday morning in May and I can’t wait to get out in it after I’m done putting this together.

So Much Pingle Patrons! A big thank you to the show’s newest patron, Skylar Hopkins!  Thank you Skylar! And as always, I want to thank everyone who keeps the show rolling along. 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]).

Our guest this week is Dr. Andrew Hoffman lately of The Ohio State University, and we talk about bucket cams, rattlesnakes, outreach and education, the Life Underfoot You Tube channel, and Andrew’s new job as assistant professor at St. John Fisher University.

Thanks for talking with me 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 [email protected], and there’s also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, methods for picking up water snakes, tips for herping better, etc.

-Mike

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eighty One!  And Season Four!  And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there.

In this episode, I talk with Gerold Merker, who with his son Walter recently published an updated edition of The Gray-banded Kingsnake, which I think is a fabulous book.  I talk with Gerold about the book, about west Texas, and of course, Gray-bands!  The book is available from Eco Wear and Publishing.

So Much Pingle Patrons! A big thank you to Gerold Merker, our newest patron and the star of this episode as well.  And as always, I want to thank everyone who keeps the show rolling along. 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]).

And given that we’re now kicking off Season Four, I want to take a little time to mention all of the folks who have contributed to show via Patreon or one-time contributions:  Justin Michels, Jason Jones of Herp MX, Smetlogik AKA Rob Kreutzer, Ryan Borgmann, Joshua Wallace, Jill Rials, Marty Whalin, Chris Smith, Dr. Emily Taylor, John Burris, Kamil Scepanski, Brandon Kong, Issac Chellman, Dr James van Dyke, Brandon Ballard, Mike Rochford, Josef Thompson, Dr. Alex Krohn, Matt Ratcliffe, Jeroen Speybroek, Bryan Hughes, Brandon Bourassa, Josh Holbrook my favorite co-author, James McGhee, Michael Moffat, Andy O’Connor, Jake Scott, Deb Krohn, Duane McDermott, John Sullivan, Josh Emms, Justin Elden, Matt Cage, Patrick Connolly, Chris McMartin, Michael Cravens, Ana Ware, Tim Warfel, David Burkart, Adam Cooner, Dr. Bill Peterman, Cynthia Samake, Paul-Erik Bakland, William Bone, Jeremiah Easter, Richard Legere (AKA Squeaks), Tom Eles, Jeremy Schumacher, Neill Jones, Alec Gordon, Martin Habecker, Daniel Dye, Clint Henke, Ross Maynard, Nick Sobel, Moses Michelsohn, Myles Masterson, Ben Genter, Pearson McGovern, Tom Eles again, Sal Scibetta, Alicia Ballard, Ben Stegenga, Kam Delahoz, Dave Weber, JJ Apodaca, the Urbanek family, Will McManus, Jason Folt, Lawrence Erickson, Wes Redridge, Christian Diederich, Brad Allen,Ian Kanda,  Kim Brown, Andrew Davis, Dick Bartlett, Craig Howard, Sheri Monk, Ian Kanda again, and finally, Gerold Merker.  My apologies for any mispronunciations, or if I left anyone out (pretty sure I didn’t).  What can I say?  Thank you, all of you, for supporting this show, I am more grateful than I can possibly express to you all.

I also want to thank all the folks who I’ve talked to over the course of three seasons –easily a hundred or more people and I’ll skip reading all those names.  I’ve enjoyed talking with each and every one of you.

Thank you Gerold Merker for starting off Season Four on a high note!  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

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eighty!  A nice round number and I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there.

First up, I want to give a shoutout to Claire Pedersen, who only found out about the show recently but has been working her way through the episodes in chronological order.  She’s more than halfway through so I expect it won’t be long before she hears this.  I also want to give a shoutout to Charlotte Pedersen as well.  She’s Claire’s younger sister and both of them are just nuts about herps and other kinds of wildlife.

So Much Pingle Patrons! I want to give a shoutout to Ian Kanda.  Ian is one of the show’s patrons and he recently made -another- one-time donation to help the show.  Thank you so much, Ian!  And as always, I want to thank everyone who keeps the show rolling along. 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]).

It’s no big secret that I love hanging out in the field with biologists and ecologists and pretty much any kind of ologist, and I have been fortunate enough to assist with a number of survey projects over the years.  Last April I drove to North Carolina to help Josh Holbrook and his students with some wetland surveys, which consisted of wading into freshwater ponds to set traps and then return to survey their contents.  I had a great time, as you might expect, and then we recorded this episode after dinner, around a campfire.  Stories around a campfire, it doesn’t get any better than that.  And some of Josh’s students were just getting their feet wet, so to speak, and I enjoyed hearing their perspectives on their first forays into field work.

Thanks to Josh, John, MJ, Sam, Brenna, and Whitney!  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

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode 79!  It’s been a while since an episode dropped and I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there.

I’ve had the best excuse for not getting a show out for a while – I’ve been traveling!  I just got back from two weeks in Madagascar, and before that I spent most of January and February in Peru.  I am home for a while now, so the show schedule will go back to something close to regular for the near future.

So Much Pingle Patrons!  I want to give a big shout-out to the show’s newest supporter, Sheri Monk!  Thank you Sheri!  And as always, I want to thank everyone who keeps the show rolling along. 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]).

Our guests this week are Dick Lock and Lieke Verwoerd, who operate the wildlife tour companies Unlock Nature and Herping Suriname.  Dick and Lieke came down to Peru on one of our expeditions, and I got to spend some time getting to know them and it was a pleasure to interview them about what they are up to in Suriname, a place I really want to visit someday.  You can follow Unlock Nature on Facebook and Instagram, and you can follow Herping Suriname on Facebook and Instagram as well.

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 78 and I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there.  After three weeks at home, I am heading back to Peru this afternoon for this year’s third and final tour.  I’m happy to get another show out before I leave, and we will touch base again in early March when I return.

So Much Pingle Patrons!  As always, I want to thank everyone who keeps the show rolling along. 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]).

Our guest this week is Daren Riedle. Daren is the Wildlife Diversity Coordinator for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and he wears many hats as a researcher, administrator, and avid herper.  I recorded this interview in Peru this past January, and I enjoyed the opportunity to herp and just hang out with Daren during our stay.  Our conversation took us from Kansas to South Africa with many points in between.

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, baby monitors to watch baby monitors, tips for herping better, etc.

-Mike

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Seventy Seven!  And I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there, and I want to wish all of you a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.

It’s the first week of February and it’s good to be back home and to be turning out another episode, after being away for nearly a month in Peru.  It was an interesting trip, to say the least, with a lot of travel issues going both down and back.  I’ll spare you the details, but I am beginning to suspect that the golden age of air travel is behind us.  All travel issues aside it was a great trip to Peru, and across 25 days and two back-to-back tour groups we managed to find a total of six bushmasters.  Pretty incredible and I’m still processing all of that.  Needless to say, I recorded segments with some of the folks who encountered their first bushmaster, and I will put that out sometime in the next few months.

So Much Pingle Patrons!  I want to give a shout-out to Craig Howard, the show’s newest patron.  Craig was on our first Peru tour last month and he took some awesome photos, I especially liked some of his frog shots.  It was good to meet you Craig, and thanks so much for your support. 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 are again with another edition of Herp Science Sunday with Dr. Alex Krohn.  That’s right, two in a row, even if they are a month apart, and, this one again features a guest from Australia.  As I said before, this is more by accident than design, but Alex and I are happy about it and we hope you are as well.  Our guest this week is Jules Farquhar, a doctoral candidate in the School of Biological Sciences at Monash University in Victoria, Australia.  Jules is a co-author on a paper published in the Journal of Biogeography last year entitled “Using Crowd-sourced Photographic Records to Explore Geographical Variation in Colour Polymorphism” Alex and I talked with Jules just before Christmas, about this paper, which concerns Lace Monitors, and we cover some other cool Australian herp stuff as well.

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, baby monitors to watch baby monitors, tips for herping better, etc.

-Mike

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Seventy Six!  And I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there, and I want to wish all of you a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.

Well it’s Sunday, and New Year’s Day, and that can only mean that the first episode of 2023 is a Herp Science Sunday show with Dr. Alex Krohn!  I’m happy to get one more show in before I head down to Peru in just a few days. This visit is a prolonged trip, actually two trips back-to-back, and I won’t return home until almost the end of the month, which means the next SoMuchPingle episode will drop the first week of February.  But as always, I will be bringing my mobile recording gear and I should come back with more content, complete with screeching jungle birds as a backdrop.

As always, I want to say thank you to all of the show’s patrons!  I’m grateful for everyone’s contributions and it does keep the show rolling along. 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 edition of Herp Science Sunday centers on serpent genitalia. The paper we discuss is “First Evidence of Hemiclitores in Snakes”,  published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society on 12/14/2022.  The paper should be available for download here, and as always, you can also request a copy of the PDF from me.  The co-authors are Megan J. Folwell, Kate L. Sanders, Patricia L. R. Brennan and Jenna M. Crowe-Riddell.  I believe Alex and I both got wind of it from a post made by Dr. Emily Taylor. And we nearly simultaneously decided we needed to talk to at least one of the co-authors of this paper, and soon, since so many people have been interested in the discoveries outlined in the publication.  Long story short, Alex and I had a lovely chat with co-author Megan Folwell recently, and I rushed it through the production process to have it ready for New Year’s.

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, entertainment partitioning ideas, tips for herping better, etc.

-Mike

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Seventy Five! It’s the day after Christmas, and I hope you all are safe, healthy, and warm. The temperatures at my house are back into the mid-teens Fahrenheit, after a few blustery and frigid days leading up to the holiday.  I’m working to crank out a few episodes over the next week or so before I head to Peru for another visit.

I want to give a big shout-out to Dick and Patti Bartlett, the show’s newest patrons.  I appreciate your one-time contribution and I really enjoyed spending a little time with you two earlier this year.  And a happy new year to you both.

And as always, I want to say thank you to all of the show’s patrons!  I’m grateful for everyone’s contributions and it does keep the show rolling along. 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]).

Now let’s turn our attention to the show.  I want to thank Jason Folt for suggesting this topic, leading to me talking with him, Mike Rochford, and Liz Hughes about the challenges and rewards of getting the little kiddos out there in herp land.  And of course, I have many other friends doing much the same and I was thinking about you all as well as we had this discussion, and again as I put this together.

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, entertainment partitioning ideas, tips for herping better, etc.

-Mike