Emily Taylor, author of California Snakes and How to Find Them, delivers a lecture, “The Secret Lives of Snakes,” for the Central Coast State Parks Association | CCSPA / Mind Walks series.

In-person event. San Luis Obispo Public Market, 3845 S. Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Emily Taylor will share tales of snake encounters from her 25 years of studying these scaly animals around the world. These stories will be brought to life with beautiful photographs and movies of snakes, including footage obtained from recent advances in technology that Emily and her students are using to spy on snakes and learn about their amazing secret lives. In celebration of the release of her book California Snakes and How To Find Them published by Heyday Press, Emily will punctuate the presentation with excerpts from the book on California’s bounty of legless creatures.

About the Speaker:Emily Taylor is a Professor of Biological Sciences at the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, where she conducts research on the physiology, ecology, and conservation biology of California reptiles and amphibians with her students. Self-described as “obsessed with snakes,” Emily is a staunch advocate for improving the public image of snakes, especially rattlesnakes. She founded a community science project called Project RattleCam, where members of the public help her and other scientists learn about rattlesnakes by analyzing photos and livestream footage from snake dens (rattlecam.org). She also owns a company Central Coast Snake Services aimed at helping people and snakes in California coexist safely and peacefully (CentralCoastSnakeServices.com). Follow her on social media @snakeymama.