“I’m an amateur herpetologist. I study frogs and snakes.” “Oh, so you’re looking for frogs?” “Well, snakes mostly. Frogs are easier to find. Snakes are not so easy so I look for them and find frogs.” “Is there a type of snake you’re looking for?”   And so begins a fateful conversation I’ve had dozens […]

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saw my first leaf frog in the wild about 15 years ago. I was in a Jacuzzi pool at a hotel in Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica. I was relaxing there one evening with my wife and another guest who was a Tico – a local. It was my first experience at cultural exchange […]

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or most people the mention of a red snake evokes feelings of danger. Hmmm, after writing this sentence I realized that the mere mention of snake, of any color, evokes fear and danger. So for the purposes of this entry bare with me and accept that red snakes are scarier (in a biological sense) than […]

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For many people nothing strikes fear like the sight of a snake. For some it’s not just a startle but a gasping for breath, clutch the chest, sweating fear. Fear of snakes, ophidiophobia, is frequently listed as one of the top fears, even over death. One of the lofty goals of this site is to […]

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