Snake Talk – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, Dr. Jenkins sits down with Dr. Henry Mushinsky, Professor Emeritus at the University of South Florida, for a deep dive into his career. They explore his early passion for herpetology, shaped by his childhood adventures catching watersnakes in the bayous of Louisiana. However, a move to Florida and the region's development pressures shifted his focus toward conservation biology. Dr. Mushinsky shares compelling stories from his time in Florida, including his efforts to conserve gopher tortoises in rapidly developing landscapes and his collaboration with Disney to protect rare sand skinks.

Connect with Henry at the University of South Florida.

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Dr. Jenkins sits down with returning guest Noah Fields to talk about “flashy” colubrids. They start by discussing the colorful, large, and awe-inspiring characteristics that draw people to some of these snakes. Then, they delve into both kingsnakes and milksnakes, including their distribution, species vs. subspecies, and natural history. The conversation transitions from Scarlet Kingsnakes in unusual places to milk snakes living in the North. They finish the episode by focusing on Eastern Kingsnakes, specifically field herping for them, their natural history, and their conservation status in the Southeast.

Connect with Noah on YouTube.

Check out Noah’s photos 1, 2 and 3 of the Eastern Kingsnake feeding on the Eastern Ratsnake, referred to in the podcast.

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If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.

Dr. Jenkins sits down with Bob Ashley of the Chiricahua Desert Museum to discuss his recent book titled A Photographic History of Snakebite Treatments: Bad Medicine, Snake Oils, Potions, Elixirs and Kits. They talk about Bob’s collection of snake bite kits and the experiences that led up to the idea for the book. They then break down how the book is structured discussing each section. Finally, they talk about the content of the book including an overview of the history of snake oils, snakebite kits, and antivenoms. 

Listen to Bob's first episode on Snake Talk: 58 | Bob Ashley, Snake Entrepreneur and Founder of the Chiricahua Desert Museum.

Purchase A Photographic History of Snakebite Treatments here and here.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

Shop Snake Talk merch.

If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.

The Walking Dead is an “Apocalyptic Soap Opera” where humans are trying to survive after a virus has turned most people to walkers (i.e., zombies). Kim Mross is a snake wrangler for the Walking Dead where she sweeps sets by temporarily removing snakes before shoots, temporarily removes snakes encountered during shoots, and educates crew and cast. Listen to Chris and Kim discuss stories ranging from the details behind the Snake Eating Scene in the Walking Dead to how her counterpart in Wife Swap reacted to walking into Kim’s home for the first time to find it was filled with snakes. Kim also talks about the set of the Walking Dead and how various actors feel about snakes.Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society. Shop Snake Talk merch. If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.

Chris talks snakes with Zack Dalton, Director of Sales for Sage, Redington, and Rio products. This is the first of many podcasts where Chris will talk with people who are not snake experts but are in a field that brings them in contact with snakes in the wild. Tune in to hear a unique perspective on the perception of snakes, strategies for communicating to the fishing community about snakes, and the ecosystem based conservation ethic in the fly fishing world. Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society. Shop Snake Talk merch. If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.

Illegal trade is one of the greatest threats to wild snake populations. Chris discusses the issue with Craig Hoover, Executive Vice President of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. They discuss Craig’s career in combating the wildlife trade in various roles including law enforcement, policy, and administration. Listen and learn more about the factors driving the skin trade, the species and regions it impacts most, and Craig’s thoughts on what needs to be done to conserve wild snake populations. Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society. Shop Snake Talk merch. If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.

Noah Fields is a Field Herper who makes his living by field herping almost every day and posting content on YouTube. Tune in to hear more about field herping, Noah’s YouTube channel, and an interesting discussion around the changes in the field and relevant ethical issues. Chris and Noah also talk about field herping in Georgia and West Texas including snake diversity, regulations, and techniques.Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society. Shop Snake Talk merch. If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.

Field Herping is a rapidly growing form of recreation where people go into wildplaces and look for reptiles and amphibians (especially snakes). You can think of Field Herping as being analogous to birding but with the big difference in that most of time it is possible to catch the snake. Field Herping is exciting and most of us do some form of it but it is important to develop an ethic around your practices. In this podcast Chris talks with Houston Chandler and Kiley Briggs about Field Herping and potential issues that everyone should consider before recreationally looking for snakes.Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society. Shop Snake Talk merch. If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.

We are in the midst of a Global Snakebite Crisis, where people living in poverty in regions with high numbers of venomous snakes are dying from snakebites at a high rate. Chris talks with Jordan Benjamin about the Snakebite Crisis and the efforts of the Snakebite Foundation to turn around that trend. They discuss strategies that include developing snakebite clinics, training, and providing antivenom in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa. They also discuss topics such as the various types of venoms and everything you wanted to know about antivenom.Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society. Shop Snake Talk merch. If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.

Bushmasters are giant – egg laying vipers of Latin American Rainforests. Chris talks with friend Dr. Andy Whitworth about these amazing animals including their reproduction, predators, feeding, habitat, and conservation. But the conversation starts with stories of Pumas in the front yard of Andy’s remote rainforest home. They also discuss conservation of rainforests in Costa Rica and the nonprofit Osa Conservation’s role.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, Instagram or at The Orianne Society.

Shop Snake Talk merch.

If you like what you’ve been hearing on this podcast, consider supporting The Orianne Society today.