ASP changes how people view and treat snakes
ASP changes how people view and treat snakes
– Dr Christina Zdenek, Australian Reptile Academy (find her on Instagram @Chris.and.Christina) There is a long-standing myth that snakes are deaf. Presumably this comes from two places: But neither of these things prove that snakes are deaf. For example, dolphins and moths can hear exceptionally well, yet neither of them have external ears. Regarding point #2,
Snakes are NOT Deaf! Read More »
July 16 is World Snake Day: an opportunity to celebrate snakes and raise awareness about their preservation. While snakes are threatened by many of the same issues that affect all wildlife (habitat loss, climate change, and disease), negative attitudes toward snakes may be the biggest barrier to their preservation because it often impedes efforts to address
World Snake Day 2025 Read More »
The Legend Of Airdropped Rattlesnakes – Alex Megerle Do state game agencies really introduce rattlesnakes by tossing them out of aircraft? Three experts weigh in on the facts, origin, and future of the enduring story. Throughout a herpetology career that has spanned more than 25 years at the Kentucky Reptile Zoo, biologist Kristin Wiley has
Snakes From A Plane Read More »
Happy ASPiversary! We launched Advocates for Snake Preservation on Endangered Species Day (May 16) in 2014. To celebrate a Decade of Demystifying of Snakes, here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about snakes. 1. There are over 3,000 species of snakes. They range in size from Barbados Threadsnakes, who weigh less than a paperclip
10 Surprising Snake Facts Read More »
(they don’t want to bite you) – Alex Megerle On May 16th, 2021, I hopped on a flight from Newark to Tucson. A few hours later, in an unfamiliar airport in Arizona, I met a professor I’d never spoken to in person, linked up with a fellow volunteer I’d only communicated with via text, and
The Shocking Truth About Mohaves Read More »
This article was written by Jeff Smith & Melissa Amarello, Co-founders, ASP “In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.” “How do people understand something that terrifies them?“ In a recent essay, Robles (2021) details attitudes toward
Changing Fear to Fascination With Familiarity Read More »
To celebrate ASP’s fifth birthday, we’re sharing five inspiring stories with you — a new one each week through the end of 2019. Read them all here. This past summer at the farmers’ market, a little boy ran up and hugged me. At first I thought it was a case of mistaken identity, but then
Face to Face for Snakes Read More »
The heart of ASP’s work is education using stories to illustrate cool snake behavior and busting myths and misconceptions when answering questions about snakes. Although they tend to change over the years, at any given time people have the same questions: “Are rattlesnakes rattling less?” “Are babies more dangerous than adults?” “How do you tell
and other wild animals too! Share this information online and off: click the image to download a version to print and share.
How to Help Snakes Read More »
“Snakes. Why’d it have to be snakes?” – Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark Humans often fear what they don’t understand and to most, snakes are a mystery. Snakes rely on crypsis so even when traversing through their world, we rarely see them. This void of direct knowledge is filled by myth and
Our Negative Attitude Toward Snakes is Their Biggest Hurdle Read More »
Want to help snakes? Discover 11 simple tips to create a wildlife-friendly yard and help snakes and your other wild neighbors thrive. You’ll also be the first to hear new snake stories and opportunities to take action in ASP’s fortnightly newsletter.