The Mates get into the evolution of Ambystoma, whether or not to use subspecies, and the fantastically diverse and oft maligned gymnophthalmids (gymmies!). Episode notes can get clipped on your device or by your podcast provider; for full (extensive) notes (and references and beautiful pictures), go to http://www.squamatespod.com Episode Citations Boccia, C.K., Swierk, L., Ayala-Varela, F.P., Boccia, J., Borges, I.L., Estupiñán, C.A., Martin, A.M., Martínez-Grimaldo, R.E., Ovalle, S., Senthivasan, S., Toyama, K.S., del Rosario Castañeda, M., García, A., Glor, R.E. & Mahler, D.L. Repea ..read more

The Mates are joined this month by Hiral Naik, a snake ecologist from South Africa! We talk turtles, skinks, crocodiles, neocolonialism in science, and Lamprophiidae! Episode notes can get clipped on your device or by your podcast provider; for full (extensive) notes (and references and beautiful pictures), go to http://www.squamatespod.com Episode Citations Thomson, R.C., Spinks, P.Q. & Shaffer, H.B. (2021) A global phylogeny of turtles reveals a burst of climate-associated diversification on continental margins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(7):e2012215118. DOI: 10 ..read more

After a corona-induced hiatus, the Mates are back with a looser format and some deep dives on tiny chameleons, glowing geckos, and the much debated Lacey act! Episode notes sometimes get clipped on your device or by your podcast provider; for full (extensive) notes (and references and beautiful pictures), go to http://www.squamatespod.com Works in Froggress National Geographic Article featuring Gabriel’s illustrations Get ready for the superstars of the story of life The first three books in @Ben_garrod‘s #Extinct series are out on 13th May! Fantastically illustrated by @SerpenIllus. Pre-ord ..read more

Here’s episode 18, a Works in Froggress episode, featuring the Mates, Dr Mark D. Scherz, Gabriel Ugueto, and Ethan Kocak, talking about what’s going on in their new lives stuck inside—Ethan’s setting off on a freelancing lifestyle, Gabriel has been tweaking the same illustration forever, and Mark is working on FIIIIIIIIIISH! The Mates then dive into a discussion about Uroplatus geckos! Episode notes sometimes get clipped on your device or by your podcast provider; for full (extensive) notes (and references and beautiful pictures), go to http://www.squamatespod.com A note: this episode was ..read more

We’re back with Episode 17! In this Breaking Newts episode, the Mates, Dr Mark D. Scherz, Gabriel Ugueto, and Ethan Kocak, talk about the coolest new research in herpetology and Gabriel’s extremely squeaky chair! Featuring a few controversial new bits of science, some amazing turtles, diverse salamanders, and glowing, bony amphibians! Episode notes sometimes get clipped on your device or by your podcast provider; for full (extensive) notes (and references), go to http://www.squamatespod.com A note: this episode was recorded on the 24th of April 2020, a time when most of humanity seemed united ..read more

Episode 16 is here, in this episode we—Dr Mark D. Scherz, Gabriel Ugueto, and Ethan Kocak—feature an interview with Professor Emily Taylor of Cal Poly, and two of her students, Isabelle Barnes and Katie Rock, talking about their amazing dataset about sex biases in publishing in herpetology, recorded at the 9th World Congress of Herpetology in Dunedin, New Zealand. Episode notes sometimes get clipped on your device or by your podcast provider; for full (extensive) notes (and references), go to http://www.squamatespod.com For more information about the dataset we talk about, check out Profe ..read more

We’re back with Episode 15! In this Works in Froggress and Discussion episode, the Mates, Dr Mark D. Scherz, Gabriel Ugueto, and Ethan Kocak, talk about what they’ve been up to since October 2019, and discuss the event of the year, the 9th World Congress of Herpetology in Dunedin, New Zealand. Episode notes sometimes get clipped on your device or by your podcast provider; for full (extensive) notes (and references), go to http://www.squamatespod.com Episode Citations Ratsoavina, F.M., Scherz, M.D., Tolley, K.A., Raselimanana, A.P., Glaw, F. & Vences, M. (2019) A new species of Uroplatus (G ..read more

Dr Mark D. Scherz, Gabriel Ugueto, and Ethan Kocak are back for a new start in 2020 and a small change to our episode format! In this Breaking Newts episode, we highlight important herpetological papers published since October 2019! Episode Citations Post, Y., Puschhof, J., Beumer, J., Kerkkamp, H.M., de Bakker, M.A.G., Slagboom, J., de Barbanson, B., Wevers, N.R., Spijkers, X.M., Olivier, T., Kazandjian, T.D., Ainsworth, S., Iglesias, C.L., van de Wetering, W.J., Heinz, M.C., van Ineveld, R.L., van Kleef, R.G.D.M., Begthel, H., Korving, J., Bar-Ephraim, Y.E., Getreuer, W., Rios, A.C., Westeri ..read more

We are the worst, but at least we have an Episode 13, unlike a certain podcast we know. In this long-delayed episode, it’s just two of your normal co-hosts, Dr Mark D. Scherz and Gabriel Ugueto, in a more laid-back, chatty format than the usual! In this thirteenth episode, the structure of the show is a bit different, but we do talk about biogeography and conservation of some geckos and frogs from Madagascar, how exciting we find turtles, and some really cool new science. Works in Frogress Mohan, A.V., Gehring, P.-S., Scherz, M.D., Glaw, F., Ratsoavina, F.M. & Vences, M. (2019) Comparative ..read more

Here it is, Episode 12! In this episode, the Mates, Mark D. Scherz, Gabriel Ugueto, and Ethan Kocak, have some hot takes on wasp taxonomy (wtf?) and lizard functional groups! In this twelfth episode, we talk sailing frogs, how fast you have to walk to find the most snakes, lizard skulls, and flying geckos, and have a somewhat impassioned discussion of wasp taxonomy and a reductionist approach to lizard functional grouping! Our #HERper is Dr. Meg Stewart, and our main discussion is about squamate cognition! Episode notes sometimes get clipped on your device or by your podcast provider; for full ..read more