WEDNESDAY July 23, 2025 Day 1
12:00 - 5:00 PM REGISTRATION
POSTER SET UP: LIBRARY OF HERPETOLOGY
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5:00 PM ICE BREAKER. APPETIZERS AND REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED BY CHIRICAHUA DESERT MUSEUM, GERONIMO EVENT CENTER
7:00 PM Icebreaker Speaker. Dr. Wolfgang Wüster. Title: Pitviper diversity: where are we, where have we come from, and where are we going?
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MODERATOR FOR THE CONFERENCE: Dr. Geoffrey C. Carpenter
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THURSDAY July 24, 2025 Day 2 Back to top
7:30 AM REFRESHMENTS & CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST PROVIDED BY CHIRICAHUA DESERT MUSEUM, GERONIMO EVENT CENTER
8:15 AM Opening Remarks. Bob Ashley and Dr. Gordon W. Schuett
8:20 AM Keynote Speaker. Dr. Brenna A. Levine. Title: Pitvipers: a model for the study of sexual selection dynamics and complexities
9:20 AM Dr. Ryan Hanscom. Title: Exploring the intersection of behavior and physiology in Crotalus viridis across their range through biologging
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9:40 AM Emma C. McAndrews. Title: Integrating novel and traditional field technologies to quantify the activity cycles, behavior, and spatial ecology of a California species of special concern, Crotalus ruber
10:00 AM BREAK (20 MINUTES). REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED BY CHIRICAHUA DESERT MUSEUM, GERONIMO EVENT CENTER
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10:20 AM Invited Speaker. Dr. Hayley L. Crowell. Title: Ecology and evolution of pitviper coloration
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11:00 AM Dr. Todd A. Castoe. Title: Snake venom systems as models for understanding the origins and evolution of gene regulatory networks
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11:20 AM Yannick Francioli. Title: Rattling speciation theory: testing genomic coupling theory in rattlesnake hybrid zones
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11:40 AM Dr. Drew R. Schield. Title: Detecting the genomic footprints of introgression in western rattlesnakes
12:00 PM LUNCH ON YOUR OWN. SEE LIST OF RESTAURANTS IN BACK OF PROGRAM
2:00 PM Invited Speaker. Dr. Karl W. Larsen. Title: So Excellent a Serpent: BC’s northern rattlesnake and its perplexing movement ecology
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2:40 PM Dr. Stephen P. Mackessy. Title: Beyond antivenoms: Targeting the molecules, not the species
3:00 PM Samuel Kerwin. Title: Comparative Analysis of Venom from Two Honduran Pitvipers
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3:20 PM Cody Will. Title: Rattlesnake aversion: a method of protecting pets from costly snake envenomations
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3:40 PM Bryan Hughes. Title: Rattlesnake relocation in the real world: a glass half-full
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4:00 PM BREAK (20 MINUTES). REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED BY CHIRICAHUA DESERT MUSEUM, GERONIMO EVENT CENTER
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4:20 PM Brett Baldwin. Title: Management and reproduction of Mangshan Pitvipers at the San Diego Zoo
4:40 PM Dr. Andrew M. Salywon. Title. Pitvipers (and other snakes) as ecosystem engineers: unraveling their role in seed rescue and dispersal
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5:00 PM Dr. Tomonori Kodama. Title: Ten snakes, ten venoms: functional variation in prey resistance to venoms of individual rattlesnakes within a single population
5:20 PM Dr. Andrew T. Holycross. Title: In situ and ex situ conservation of the New Mexico Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake
5:40 PM PM Dr. Warren Booth. Title: The role and history of pitvipers in our understanding of facultative parthenogenesis and long-term sperm storage
6:00 PM DAY 2 TALKS COMPLETED
DINNER ON YOUR OWN. LIST OF RESTAURANTS IN BACK OF PROGRAM
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8:00 PM PM Nick Kanakis and Javier Aznar. Title: Pitviper Photography
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FRIDAY July 25, 2025 Day 3 Back to top
​7:30 REFRESHMENTS & CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST PROVIDED BY CHIRICAHUA DESERT MUSEUM, GERONIMO EVENT CENTER
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8:00 AM Plenary Speaker. María Elena Barragán Paladines. Title: A retrospective of the contributions in the viper conservation and what are the challenges today
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9:00 AM Dr. Christopher L. Parkinson. Title: Genome evolution in New World pitvipers
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9:20 AM Ramses Rosales Garcia. Title: Origin and evolution of a deadly neurotoxin in pitviper venom
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9:40 AM Kristen Wiley. Title: Cancer research benefits from use of venom from the Chaco rattlesnake, Crotalus d. terrificus
10:00 AM BREAK (20 MINUTES). REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED BY CHIRICAHUA DESERT MUSEUM, GERONIMO EVENT CENTER
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10:20 AM Invited Speaker. Dr. Craig M. Lind. Title: Environmental and energetic constraints on effective thermal disease coping mechanisms in pitvipers
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10:40 AM John Powers. Title: Quantifying costs and benefits of alternative overwintering strategies in a southeastern population of Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus)
11:00 AM Amanda Martinez. Title: Assessing the status and perceptions of the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake population at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
11:20 AM J. Jesus Sigala Rodriguez. Title: Natural history and conservation of selected Mexican pitviper species
11:40 AM Cale Morris. Title: Understanding rattlesnake behavior: a step in the right direction
12:00 PM LUNCH ON YOUR OWN. SEE LIST OF RESTAURANTS IN BACK OF PROGRAM
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2:00 PM Invited Speaker. Dr. Dominic L. DeSantis. Title: Accelerometer recording of pitviper movement behavior: advantages, challenges, and a call for collaboration
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2:40 PM Dr. Dylan W. Maag. Title: Variation in defensive and exploratory behaviors across a rattlesnake hybrid zone (Crotalus scutulatus x Crotalus viridis) in southwestern New Mexico
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3:00 PM Morgan L. Thompson. Title: Exploring the use of machine learning models for precise classification of pitviper movement and foraging behaviors
3:20 PM Rachel Pikstein. Pity thy pitviper? Evaluating enrichment choices in Crotalus helleri with outcomes aimed at improving care for large snake collections through strained behavior reductions
3:40 PM Dr. Benjamin C. Jellen. Title: Movement and site selection of Eastern Copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix) in relation to linear features in a suburban nature park
4:00 PM BREAK (20 MINUTES). REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED BY CHIRICAHUA DESERT MUSEUM, GERONIMO EVENT CENTER
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4:20 PM Dr. Ignazio Avella. Title: A sharp eye on the venom of one of Asia’s most dangerous pitvipers
4:40 PM Ashley Grimsley-Padron. Title: Ecology of Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnakes from Tinajas Altas, Arizona.
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5:00 PM Dr. Terence M. Farrell. Title: Pygmy Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus miliarius) exhibit differences in behavior and success rate while foraging in the day and night
5:20 PM John Cancalosi. Title: Timber rattlesnake rookeries as centers of social activity: documentation via photography and videography
5:40 PM DAY 3 TALKS COMPLETED
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5:45 PM Group Photo. Meet Outside in Front of the Library of Herpetology. Photographers: Jason Watkins, Tim Lawson
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6:00 PM DINNER COMPLIMENTS OF CHIRICAHUA DESERT MUSEUM, GERONIMO EVENT CENTER
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​7:30 PM MEET THE AUTHORS. BOOK SIGNING at the LIBRARY of HERPETOLOGY
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Dr. Emily N. Taylor - California Snakes and How To Find Them. California Lizards and How To Find Them.
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Stephen S. Hall - Slither: How Nature’s Most Maligned Creatures Illuminate Our World
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Dr. Gonzalo M. Sanchez and co-authors - Snake Identification in the Ancient Egyptian Brooklyn Medical Papyrus. A New Study of the Twenty-Four Extant Registers of the “Snakebite Papyrus”
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Bob Ashley, Charles F. Smith and Gordon W. Schuett - A Photographic History of Snakebite Treatment. Bad Medicine - Snake Oils, Potions, Elixirs and Kits
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And others to be announced...
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SATURDAY July 26, 2025 Day 4 Back to top
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7:30 AM REFRESHMENTS & CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST PROVIDED BY CHIRICAHUA DESERT MUSEUM, GERONIMO EVENT CENTER
8:00 AM Honored Guest. Dr. Harry W. Greene. Title: Biology of pitvipers and the culture of pitviper biologists: six futuristic talking points
9:00 AM Dr. Scott M. Goetz. Title: Maternal attendance in prairie rattlesnakes: deterring smaller avian predators and other insights from a seven-month model study
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9:20 AM Arturo Rocha. Title: Continuous physio-logging (heart rate, body temperatures) of Crotalus atrox and Crotalus ornatus in Far West Texas
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9:40 AM Anna F. Tipton. Title: Effects of night sky brightness on the movement and foraging behavior of Eastern Black-tailed Rattlesnakes (Crotalus ornatus)
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10:00 AM BREAK (20 MINUTES). REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED BY CHIRICAHUA DESERT MUSEUM, GERONIMO EVENT CENTER
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10:20 AM Invited Speaker. Dr. Oceane Da Cunha. Title: Insights into the secretive behavior of rattlesnakes through the lenses of personality, optimal foraging, and crypsis
11:00 AM Dr. Daniel E. Keyler. Title: A case of significant coagulopathic envenoming from Bothrops asper: appropriate antivenom use and therapeutic response
11:20 AM Dr. William K. Hayes. Title: Slithering into the future: environmental influences on habitat use, activity, and reproduction of southern California rattlesnakes
11:40 AM Chelsea E. Martin. Title: Personality in defensive behavior and venom expenditure of rattlesnakes: interspecific and geographic variation
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12:00 PM LUNCH ON YOUR OWN. SEE LIST OF RESTAURANTS IN BACK OF PROGRAM
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2:20 PM Invited Speaker. Dr. Matthew L. Holding. Title: Characterizing molecular warfare between pitvipers and rodents
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3:00 PM Dr. Joseph R. Mendelson III. Title: Discovery of a novel pathogenic virus in wild sidewinders (Crotalus cerastes)
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3:20 PM Dr. Elda E. Sánchez. Title: Extracellular vesicles: unlocking the secrets of snake venom biology
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3:40 PM Michael D. Cardwell. Title: Are burrow-dwelling rattlesnakes succumbing to record-breaking heat?
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4:00 PM Dr. Bryan Maritz. Title: Can community science predict seasonal variation in the timing of human-snake conflict?
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4:20 PM DAY 4 TALKS COMPLETED
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4:30 PM FORMAL POSTER SESSION. LIBRARY OF HERPETOLOGY
6:30 PM BANQUET DINNER. SILENT AND LIVE AUCTIONS. GERONIMO EVENT CENTER
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Banquet Speaker. Dr. Emily N. Taylor. Title: What do rattlesnakes really do when we aren't watching them? We spy on them with secret cameras to find out