So Much Pingle
Science & Ideas
About
Herpetology podcast – interviews and discussions about amphibians and reptiles with experts in the field.
Episodes
- Episode 126: Kevin Messenger and the Venomous Snakes of China
Hello everyone, and welcome to the last episode of Season Six! I have several pending episodes recorded in Peru earlier this year, but I felt the need to bump this one up in the queue. Kevin Messenger’s new book on the Venomous Snakes of C…
- Episode 125: Tales from the Tambo: Arkansas Conquers the Amazon
Hello everyone, it’s great to be back! This episode was recorded in February on our second trip, at the Santa Cruz field station. Nine of our fourteen clients were from Arkansas, and since I couldn’t talk to all nine at once, they appointe…
- Episode 124: Herp Science Sunday: Kukri Snakes with Justin Lee
Hi everyone! The first show of 2026 turns out to be another edition of Herp Science Sunday! Alex and I had an interesting discussion with Justin Lee , who is currently working on his PhD at the University of Michigan. The bulk of our conve…
- Episode 123: Thermal Ecology of Box Turtles and More with Will Robertson
Happy holidays, herpers! Here’s another episode that came out of my attending the West Virginia Herpetological Society’s annual meeting this past September. Will Robertson gave an excellent presentation on the thermal ecology of box turtle…
- Episode 122: Herps and Herpetology in Iran with Nathan Kutok
This episode has a few firsts – it’s the first time I’ve done a recording while sitting at my dining room table, and it’s the first time I’ve interviewed someone from my neighborhood. Nathan Kutok lives just a few blocks away, and he’s an…
- Episode 121: Herp Science Sunday: Bubble-breathing Anoles
I’m so happy to produce another Herp Science Sunday segment with Dr. Alex Krohn ! In this episode we talk with Dr. Alexandra Martin , one of the co-authors of a brand new paper, which lays out some astounding data that supports the idea th…
- Episode 120: A Conversation with Zeev Ginsburg
I met Zeev Ginsburg at Snake Road in southern Illinois a few years ago, and it’s been a pleasure getting to know him and spending some time herping together. We’ve had some interesting conversations, and I’ve been wanting to get him on the…
- Episode 119: Herper’s Campfire: Not a Big Year, But Still a Good One
Hi folks! This episode was recorded in the mountains of North Carolina over the Labor Day weekend. I made a long day’s drive over to Josh’s place east of Asheville, ostensibly to look for mole kingsnakes and salamanders, but also just to h…
- Episode 118: Pine Snakes, Bog Turtles and more with Bob Zappalorti
Hi folks! This past June I drove out to Pemberton, New Jersey to talk with Robert Zappalorti . Bob is the founder and executive director of Herpetological Associates Inc . Now these days there are a lot of people working in what I call con…
- Episode 117: In Belgium with Jeroen Speybroeck
Hi folks! Thanks for your patience, I’ve been called away so much this spring and summer. I first talked with Jeroen Speybroeck in Episode 27 , way back in Season One. Jeroen is all the things, he’s a conservation biologist, author, field…
- Episode 116: Snake Week: Human-Snake Interaction Panel Talk
Another special episode, in support of Snake Week , July 13 th thru the 19 th . This episode features a panel discussion with Bryan Hughes of Rattlesnake Solutions , Cale Morris from the Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary , and Rachel Pikste…
- Episode 115: Snake Week with Rachel Pikstein
This is a special episode, in support of Snake Week , which is next week, July 13 th thru the 19 th . It’s also special because it’s the return of Rachel Pikstein ! Remember the tegu episode? Rachel and I go over the basics for Snake Week,…
- Episode 114: Always Get The Full Coverage
This episode was recorded back in April, at a campground somewhere in Louisiana, on the tail-end of a week-long herping trip with a bunch of friends. Various automotive mishaps while herping had come up several times during the trip, and I…
- Episode 113: Tales from the Tambo with Matt, Alan, and Joe
I don’t get to talk with everyone that comes on our Peru expeditions, but in February I did spend an hour talking with three of Chicago Land’s finest herpers – Matt and Alan Ignoffo, and Joe Cavataio. We talk about their experiences during…
- Episode 112: Tales from the Tambo with Sylvere Corre
Hi everyone! Episode 112 (and the last episode of Season Five) returns us to the back deck of my tambo in the Peruvian rainforest, where I had a nice chat with Sylvere Corre , wildlife guide extraordinaire. Sylvere travels the world all ye…
- Episode 111: Indigo Snake Surveys with Ben Stegenga
Hello everyone! Episode 111 is all about the Indigos, and a few other adjacent critters. Back in 2024 I met up in southern Georgia with Ben Stegenga of the Orianne Society , where we spent two days in the field doing surveys for Eastern In…
- Episode 110: Herp Science Sunday: Nine Million Salamanders
Hello everyone! Episode 110 features another edition of Herp Science Sunday with Dr. Alex Krohn . Alex and I had a crazy cool conversation with Dr. Evan Grant , of the Northeastern Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative at the USGS E…
- Episode 109: Turtles & Rock n’ Roll, Green Vipers & Anoles with Taz Ezra
Hello everyone! Episode 109 is a wide-ranging two-hour conversation with PhD student Tasman Ezra . We cover fossil turtles, anole radiation, his band Half Inch Hero , Taz’s Honduras herp conservation project, and much, much more. I met Taz…
- Episode 108: Happy New Year from the Great Karoo
Hello everyone! Episode 108 comes from South Africa, recorded in two parts, starting on New Year’s Eve.. The episode starts over in the western edge of South Africa’s Free State, in what’s called the Great Karoo. It was incredibly hot and…
- Episode 107: Snake Parasites and more with Dr. Skylar Hopkins
Hello everyone and welcome to the show! Mike Pingleton here, and I am your host for these proceedings. And here we go with Episode One Hundred and Seven, and our guest for this episode is Dr. Skylar Hopkins , Assistant Professor in the Dep…
- Episode 106: Herp Science Sunday with Dr. Alex Krohn and Dr. Andrew Durso
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode One Hundred and Six! And I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there It’s Thanksgiving weekend and I want to take a moment to thank all of you out there listening to the show. I appreciate you. An…
- Episode 105: A Conversation with Dr. Thomas K. Pauley
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode One Hundred and Five! And I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. SMP Patrons! I want to thank Rich Takmajian for his contribution to the So Much Pingle podcast, via Patreon. Much appreciated…
- Episode 104: Project Obscurus with Tony Daly-Crews
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode One Hundred and Four! I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there, including all the folks who are recovering in the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton. As always, I am grateful to all the…
- Episode 103: New California Field Guide with Bob Hansen and Jackson Shedd
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode One Hundred and Three! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there, including all the folks who are recovering in the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton. As always, I…
- Episode 102: Crossing Wallace’s Line with Rory and Dan
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode One Hundred and Two! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there, including all the folks who are recovering in the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton. Well my summer…
- Episode 101: Hiatus Mini-Episode
Hey folks, as always, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. This is just a little episode marking the beginning of a show hiatus. When I was a kid, the auto plant in my town would occasionally shut down for a few months, for “r…
- Episode 100: The Big Year
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode One Hundred! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. I can’t deny it, it feels pretty good to reach the one hundred show mark, four and a half years and one pandemic af…
- Episode 99: All the Venom in Amazonia
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Ninety Nine! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. This show is dedicated to the memory of Gary Pinson . Gary lived over in the Missouri Ozarks and every October he a…
- Episode 98: Herping Suriname
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Ninety Eight! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. After traveling for the better part of a month, it’s good to be back home and back in the podcast studio. As alway…
- Episode 97: Dr. Emily Taylor: Cali Snakes & Rattle Cams
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Ninety Seven! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. I just got back from a great herping trip to Suriname. You may remember my conversation with Dick and Lieke back i…
- Episode 96: Origin Stories VIII with Dane, Lucas & Brady
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Ninety Six! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. It’s the last Sunday in April which means that this is the last episode in Season Four – we start Season Five on the…
- Episode 95: Massasaugas with Dr. Mike Dreslik
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Ninety Five! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. SMP Patrons! I want to thank a couple of new Patreoners! – Derek Gillespie and Paul Duren , thank you both so much…
- Episode 94: Herp Science Sunday: Dr. Alex Krohn & Dr. Harry Greene
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Ninety Four! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. SMP Patrons! I want to thank a couple of folks for their support – Clint Guadiana , for his contribution via Patreo…
- Episode 93: Origin Stories VII with Justin, Greyson, and Kris
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Ninety Three! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there, and happy Ground Hog Day! SMP Patrons! I want to thank Justin Coburn for his contribution to the So Much Pingle po…
- Episode 92: Flipping Tin
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Ninety Two! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. I want to wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous New Year, and let there be peace for everyone in…
- Episode 91: Hans Breuer: Funny Stuff that Happened to Me in the Woods
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Ninety One! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. We’re rolling into December and like many people, I have a big block of family time coming up, so I am pushing to ge…
- Episode 90: HerpMapper Turns Ten
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Ninety! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. And as always, I am grateful to all the show’s patrons who help to keep the show moving forward. And if you’re out there…
- Episode 89: Hogtober with Noah Fields
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eighty Nine! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. SMP Patrons! I want to thank Shawn LaRochelle for his contribution to the So Much Pingle podcast, via Patreon. Much…
- Episode 88: Invasive Tegus with Rachel Pikstein
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eighty Eight! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. And as always, I am grateful to all the show’s patrons who help to keep the show moving forward. And if you’re out…
- Episode 87: Herp Science Sunday with Dr. Alex Krohn
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eighty Seven! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. And as always, I am grateful to all the show’s patrons who help to keep the show moving forward. And if you’re out…
- Episode 86: The Mud-Box-Hog Extravaganza
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eighty Six! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. Before we get to today’s episode, I want to thank Gerry Salmon for his one-time donation to the So Much Pingle podca…
- Episode 85: Grass Snakes & Midwife Toads with Dr. Steven Allain
Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eighty Five! And while we’re at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. And for those of you experiencing extra-high temperatures, I hope you all are staying cool and hydrated. As always,…
- Episode 84: Tales of the Bushmaster
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…
- Episode 83: The Sky and Sheri Show
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 Pin…
- Episode 82: Bucket Cams, Rattlesnakes and more with Dr. Andrew Hoffman
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…
- Episode 81: Gray-banded Kingsnakes with Gerold Merker
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…
- Episode 80: Wet Feet by the Fire
Josh, Whitney, Brenna, Sam, John, and MJ 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 ab…
- Episode 79: Herping Suriname with Dick and Lieke
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 b…
- Episode 78: From Kansas to South Africa with Daren Riedle
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 befo…
- Episode 77: Herp Science Sunday with Dr. Alex Krohn and Jules Farquhar
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 ho…