Mike Carruthers

The rattle is just a noisemaker, right? It's not like it doesn't have a stinger in it or anything. It's just an alarm.

How smart are they?

How smart are they?

How smart are they?

Snakes lay eggs, right? That's where new snakes come from? Eggs? Some do. And some don't? And some don't. Some give a live birth. Oh, you know, I never knew that. I thought all snakes were egg layers.

Snakes lay eggs, right? That's where new snakes come from? Eggs? Some do. And some don't? And some don't. Some give a live birth. Oh, you know, I never knew that. I thought all snakes were egg layers.

Snakes lay eggs, right? That's where new snakes come from? Eggs? Some do. And some don't? And some don't. Some give a live birth. Oh, you know, I never knew that. I thought all snakes were egg layers.

And so we all have seen somewhere along the roadside some snake skin that the snake has shed. And what's that about?

And so we all have seen somewhere along the roadside some snake skin that the snake has shed. And what's that about?

And so we all have seen somewhere along the roadside some snake skin that the snake has shed. And what's that about?

It seems unusual that all these very different kinds of snakes, some give birth, some have eggs, some do this, some do that. They're so different, but they're still part of the same species.

It seems unusual that all these very different kinds of snakes, some give birth, some have eggs, some do this, some do that. They're so different, but they're still part of the same species.

It seems unusual that all these very different kinds of snakes, some give birth, some have eggs, some do this, some do that. They're so different, but they're still part of the same species.

I think I speak for a lot of people listening when I say I now know more about snakes than I did before. And as I listen to you talk, I'm thinking, you know, maybe one of the reasons why people are so turned off by snakes and even repulsed by them is because they are so different. You know, they don't have feet or legs. Their tongues dart out. And they don't interact with people much.

I think I speak for a lot of people listening when I say I now know more about snakes than I did before. And as I listen to you talk, I'm thinking, you know, maybe one of the reasons why people are so turned off by snakes and even repulsed by them is because they are so different. You know, they don't have feet or legs. Their tongues dart out. And they don't interact with people much.

I think I speak for a lot of people listening when I say I now know more about snakes than I did before. And as I listen to you talk, I'm thinking, you know, maybe one of the reasons why people are so turned off by snakes and even repulsed by them is because they are so different. You know, they don't have feet or legs. Their tongues dart out. And they don't interact with people much.

So we don't really know much about them. But now we know more about them. I've been talking with Stephen S. Hall. He is author of the book Slither, How Nature's Most Malign Creatures Illuminate Our World. And if you'd like to read that book, there is a link to it at Amazon in the show notes. Stephen, thanks. This was very enlightening.

So we don't really know much about them. But now we know more about them. I've been talking with Stephen S. Hall. He is author of the book Slither, How Nature's Most Malign Creatures Illuminate Our World. And if you'd like to read that book, there is a link to it at Amazon in the show notes. Stephen, thanks. This was very enlightening.

So we don't really know much about them. But now we know more about them. I've been talking with Stephen S. Hall. He is author of the book Slither, How Nature's Most Malign Creatures Illuminate Our World. And if you'd like to read that book, there is a link to it at Amazon in the show notes. Stephen, thanks. This was very enlightening.

Social media allows you and anyone else to tell the world about your latest accomplishment. The question is, does anybody really care? And the answer is, not as much as you like to think. In fact, self-promotion often backfires. In an article in the journal Psychological Science, the humble brag, as it's often called, is often not well received by others.