Ep. 283 : Hibernacula and Brown Snakes

The other day, while out with my students, we came across four basking snakes on the side of a gravel road, one of which was a Brown Snake. We asked questions about the snakes but some of the questions I couldn’t help with. I was at a loss.

Do multiple species of snakes share a hibernaculum? What is a hibernaculum really? Do all snakes use them? What characteristics are the snakes looking for in a hibernaculum? Obviously had to look it up and learn more.

Ep. 237 : Turtles of North America With Kyle Horner (and salamander migration mini report back)

Did you know that birds are more closely related to turtles, than turtles are to snakes? I just learned that. Do you know what cloacal breathing is? I bet you do… but how does it work? That’s some of the interesting stuff I got to ask naturalist, author and educator Kyle Horner recently when we spoke about his new book Turtles of North America.
And this week’s show isn’t just about turtles! It is a bit of reptilian and amphibian mashup, because for the second part I give a short report back from a recent field trip down to Sudden Tract to check on Spring salamander migration. Tis the season!