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When we asked researchers to tell us about their favorite stereotypical spooky season animals last year, our herpetology expert mentioned an unexpected twofer: a snake with a thing on its tail that looks like a spider. Researchers think the spider-tailed horned viper uses its spidery looking tail to mimic a spider crawling and lures birds to hunt.
Sara Ruane joins Flora to share an update on this spider-tail snake tale, with a new XCT scan of the spidery appendage’s innards.
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Segment Guests
Sara Ruane
Dr. Sara Ruane is curator of herpetology at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois.
Meet the Producers and Host
About Charles Bergquist
As Science Friday’s director and senior producer, Charles Bergquist channels the chaos of a live production studio into something sounding like a radio program. Favorite topics include planetary sciences, chemistry, materials, and shiny things with blinking lights.
About Flora Lichtman
Flora Lichtman is a host of Science Friday. In a previous life, she lived on a research ship where apertivi were served on the top deck, hoisted there via pulley by the ship’s chef.