On a walk in a local park this week, I found myself scanning the trail. From the trunks of trees to the edges of the path, I was looking for signs of the small and scaly residents of my North Florida hometown: snakes. My newfound appreciation for these reptiles is due to a recent read of Saving Snakes: Snakes and the Evolution of a Field Naturalist. In her first book, Dr. Nicolette Cagle takes readers on a personal journey across continents as she advocates for respect for the world’s 10,000 snake species. Part memoir, part travelogue, part natural history, it shows us how snakes’ lives are intertwined with our own, and what we can do to protect them now and into the future.

I sat down with Dr. Cagle to learn more about her interest in and perspective on snakes, and how we can all learn more about these amazing reptiles.

Read the full interview here.