#96: From Rattles to Kings: Unraveling the Secrets of Snakes With Dr. Emily Taylor

Snakes are the perfect topic for Nature’s Archive. They are often over-generalized to fit a worst-case stereotype, but they are critically important to our food webs and ecosystems. And like so much of what we discuss, once you start learning just a bit about them, you see how amazing and diverse they are.And there are few better suited to guide us through the world of snakes than Dr. Emily Taylor. Dr. Taylor is a professor of biological sciences at California Poly San Luis Obispo and has been studying mating systems and physiology of rattlesnakes for 25 years. She’s also founder of Project RattleCam, which monitors a huge Prairie Rattlesnake rookery in Colorado, founder of Central Coast Snake Services, and an author. In fact, her latest book California Snakes and How to Find Them comes out on May 7 2024, which is literally tomorrow from the original release date of this podcast.Today, we discuss the diversity of snakes across the United States - and I have to say, I kept saying United Snakes as I tried to read this the first time. And of course, how to find snakes, just like in the title of her book.We discuss what different snakes eat, why the Kingsnake is named kingsnake, why live animals can’t simply claw their way out of a snake’s belly, and what it’s like to be surrounded by dozens of rattlesnakes all rattling at the same time.Of course, we also discuss how snakes contribute to our ecosystems, and the threats that they face.Dr. Taylor can be found on Instagram, Twitter, and Threads as @snakeymamaYou can check emilytaylorscience.com for events she is attending and much more.FULL SHOW NOTESLINKSAdvocates for Snake PreservationCalifornia Snakes and How to Find Them - the NEW book!Central Coast Snake ServicesDr. Christina Zdenek - Australian snake researcher, IG, TwitterFree Snake Relocation DirectoryMarissa Ishimatsu - major photographic contributor to Dr. Taylor's new book. Check Marissa's instagram for incredible snake and nature photographyProject RattleCamRaptors Are The Solution - resources for dealing with rodents that don't harm snakes, birds, and petsSave the SnakesSupport Us On Patreon!Buy our Merch!Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz MusicLicense (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseArtist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!