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hippieherper.bsky.social
Tucker Heptinstall
@hippieherper.bsky.social
1.7K followers 510 following 44 posts
Herpetology. Ecology and Evolution.
SDSU- PhD Student.
Auburn U., Clemson U.- Alum
All views are my own. He/Him.
🐍🦎🐢🐸🐊
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hippieherper.bsky.social
Tucker Heptinstall @hippieherper.bsky.social · Feb 13
Super excited to see the final paper of my masters thesis come out! If you've ever wondered about rear-fanged snake venoms, garter snakes, and/or the meshing point of ecology and evolution, this one is for you! 🐍🐟🐸🪱

academic.oup.com/iob/article/...
Dietary Breadth Predicts Toxin Expression Complexity in the Venoms of North American Gartersnakes
Synopsis. Selection on heritable phenotypic variation has played a prominent role in shaping the remarkable adaptations found across the Tree of Life. Comp
academic.oup.com
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
doc-brock.bsky.social
Look’it what my student @hippieherper.bsky.social found under a rock in Juniper Canyon.

Two Side-blotched lizards he caught with one hand! ✋🏼 #UrbanHerping
Two side-blotched lizards in Tucker’s hands.
September 28, 2025 at 12:35 AM
hippieherper.bsky.social
Hard to beat a San Diego ruber 🐍
A red diamond rattlesnake sits coiled in a defensive striking position amidst brown grass
August 25, 2025 at 5:34 AM
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
sicb.bsky.social
@hippieherper.bsky.social 's summer SICB zoom is coming up!
Join us by emailing sicbmedia@sicb.org

tuckerheptinstall.weebly.com/about.html
has studied the #evolution and #ecology of garter #snakes. His broad interests include #herpetology, #ecology, #evolution, and above all else, #conservation.
July 18, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
doc-brock.bsky.social
Our last night in Greece together as the whole gang. I’m grateful to all of these students for spending this time together in nature. It’s a wild thing to live your dream! ✌🏼 🇬🇷
The Cyclades 2025 field season crew at Roof Garden Bar in front of the Acropolis at night: Tucker, Rory, Doc, Paco, Sam
July 3, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
doc-brock.bsky.social
Our last hike of the 2025 Cycladic field season through the hills of Naxos. Hundreds of miles and 160 snakes. A memorable first summer as PI. 🌞 🐍 🇬🇷
We’re in there somewhere enjoying the waterfall view Enjoying the waterfall Sunset. Til next time Naxos 💋
June 30, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
sicbjournals.bsky.social
Be sure to reserve a spot for our July IOB author - @hippieherper.bsky.social ‘s
zoom talk

#herpetologist #science #biologist #snakes #reptiles
June 30, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
ologies.bsky.social
Crotalology (RATTLESNAKES) w/ @emilytaylorscience.com is up! 🐍💚

Rattles. Fangs. Misconceptions!

Boggling stats, hiking advice, dog training, antivenom, first-aid flim-flam, free relocation & changing sentiments. Also: who gets bitten the most? Might surprise you.

www.alieward.com/ologies/crot...
Crotalology (RATTLESNAKES) with Dr. Emily Taylor — alie ward
Fangs. Rattles. Misconceptions. Crawl out from under your rock for the angelic rattle of one of the world’s most maligned, misunderstood, gorgeous, mysterious, efficient creatures. Herpetology profess...
www.alieward.com
June 25, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
doc-brock.bsky.social
40 snakes from Κουφονήσι and we ain’t done yet! #VipersAndVines2025 🐍 🍇
The gang. Rory, Steve, Paco, Tucker, me, and Emily. At the shore of Koufonissi looking out at Keros. 🐍
May 31, 2025 at 9:42 AM
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
doc-brock.bsky.social
New paper! Italian wall lizards have been introduced to urban areas across the world and do very well around humans.🦎 from a source population that has evolved with humans for millennia are more bold than 🦎 from nearby rural areas. Priming them for success in cities?
academic.oup.com/jue/article/...
The town lizard and the country lizard: urban wall lizards have more bold and variable escape behaviours than non-urban wall lizards
Abstract. Urban areas are densely populated with humans and have a high proportion of impervious surfaces that form our shelters and roadways. Animals adju
academic.oup.com
May 29, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
petebuttigieg.bsky.social
America cannot long remain free, nor first among nations, if it becomes the kind of place where universities are dismantled because they don't align politically with the current head of the government.
May 23, 2025 at 4:00 PM
hippieherper.bsky.social
Drooling.
Black and gray nose-horned viper sits in front of rock. Brown phase viper sits hidden in a rocky crevice.
May 20, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
doc-brock.bsky.social
Thousands of rocks flipped, dozens of miles walked, and finally we got one. Congrats to @hippieherper.bsky.social i’m catching his first Viper! Off the walls of an ancient castle, no less! 🐍 🇬🇷

Vipera ammodytes — Irakleia 🏝️
Tucker holding a small viper in a tube An up close shot of a viper’s head in a tube The old castle on top of a hill where he caught his first viper
May 19, 2025 at 2:04 PM
hippieherper.bsky.social
Νάξος
The gate of Apollo at sunset Sand boa close-up Sand boa on a hill side overlooking lower farmland and water Small village in the fog on Naxos
May 19, 2025 at 5:36 AM
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
doc-brock.bsky.social
3 days, 20 snakes! 🐍 Πάμε!

Our first Four-lined Snake (Elaphe quatorlineata) from Moni, Naxos 🇬🇷
Tucker @hippieherper with an Elaphe quatorlineata 12 bags of snakes 🐍 !
May 16, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
doc-brock.bsky.social
7.22 miles and 5 snakes - not a bad first day! 🐍

@hippieherper.bsky.social
Tucker hiking thru Μελανές Μελανές Tucker hiking thru ancient marble mines.
May 14, 2025 at 1:02 PM
hippieherper.bsky.social
Not a bad spot to conduct dissertation field work.
Flowers on the island of Naxos with Melanes in the distance Temple of Apollo on Naxos. Paved path lined by ancient rock walls. First data point of my dissertation! Sand boa (Eryx jaculus)
May 14, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
doc-brock.bsky.social
Any tips for getting blood and/or scale clips from very small snakes with small, flat scales? We're doing venipuncture of the caudal vein and it's tough on the smallest Eryx jaculus we've caught. 🧪🐍

These tiny wee lads do not want to give us their DNA.
A very small Javelin sand boa (Eryx jaculus) from Naxos island, Greece. Tucker is doing a landscape genomics study and needs to get DNA from as many snakes as possible. 🧬🐍
May 14, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
doc-brock.bsky.social
So long, San Diego!

Γεια σου, Ελλαδα!
Tucker and Kinsey enjoying an empty KLM flight from San Diego to Amsterdam ! Airplane window view of San Diego coastline. ✈️ Airplane window view landing in Amsterdam 🧇 Tucker walking off the airplane in Athens 🇬🇷
May 13, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
sse-evolution.bsky.social
Thanks to all who participated so far in the Week of Action for NSF by calling your reps and sharing your stories! Check out our Media Tool for other actions you can take to #SaveNSF. shorturl.at/i7WfU #SupportNSF #WithoutNSF
SSE, SSB, and ASN logos. Text: Tri-societies Week of Action for NSF. Science under siege: Over 1000 NSF grants have been terminated by political appointees- threatening the foundation of American innovation and education, and more cuts loom; entire research programs are being erased without explanation. What’s at stake? STEM education for K-12 students, jobs and infrastructure in rural communities, support for veterans in research and education, cybersecurity and national defense innovation, global leadership in science and technology. Join the week of action: Contact Congress: Switchboard: (202) 224-3121, tell them to protect NSF. Share your story: Post on social media #WithoutNSF #SupportNSF #SaveNSF, engage local media; use our media tool to reach out to local reporters and newspapers; engage others: communicate the importance of NSF to colleagues, friends, and family.
May 9, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
kzutaustin.bsky.social
Great trip to San Diego State University for the Carpenter-Cohn lecture. A wonderful community and great to meet new and revisit with "old" friends. Great vibes here! Thanks to @doc-brock.bsky.social and @kevinjburns.bsky.social for hosting me!
Kelly giving her talk Kelly and Kevin Burns selfie Photo of beautiful SDSU campus
April 30, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
doc-brock.bsky.social
My colleague, Rulon Clark, and I are starting a community science project to study urban snake pop genetics across SD county !
We've sent out scale clipping kits but many aren't comfortable clipping scales... If you know of a reliable way to get DNA easily and noninvasively from squamates pls lmk! 🧪
A flyer that says "See a snake? Let us know! Snakes are hard to find. Your photos will help us study the impacts of urban activities on snake behavior, movement, and population health" with a drawing of a Crotalus helleri with it's mouth open and a long tongue that is actually a road with cars and people on it. Groovy 🐍 A Southern Pacific Rattlesnake (SoPac) in a tube getting her scales clipped for our study.
April 19, 2025 at 1:53 PM
hippieherper.bsky.social
Nothing better than a snake filled Saturday
Red diamond rattlesnake (C. ruber) tucked away in the grass.
April 12, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Reposted by Tucker Heptinstall
doc-brock.bsky.social
A great day to be a herpetologist. ! 🌞
Sceloporus occidentalis sunning on a rock - San Diego Sceloporus orcutti sunning on a big rock 🎸 A red diamond rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber) that my student caught for research. 🧬
April 12, 2025 at 7:38 PM
hippieherper.bsky.social
😎😎
April 8, 2025 at 4:26 AM
hippieherper.bsky.social
Mondays suck, but they suck less when you win a grant 🎉💰
March 24, 2025 at 6:22 PM