Snakes

From the Barbados threadsnake to the reticulated python and everything in-between, snakes are amazing yet often misunderstood. Sink your teeth into the world of legless reptiles as we explore their biology, biogeography, and behaviour.

Whether you're a budding herpetologist, nature enthusiast, or just curious about snakes, this course provides a comprehensive and engaging exploration of these extraordinary creatures.

  • Instructor: Dr Ian Brennan
  • Level: Beginner
  • Number of chapters: 18 
  • Course length: 1.5 hours
  • Course handbook included

Learn

In this course, explore:
  • how snakes evolved from their legged ancestors 170 million years ago
  • the surprising complexity of snake anatomy
  • how conservation is tackling the threats to snake species most in danger

  • how the Natural History Museum's collections are helping with current and future research


Course plan

Meet your scientist

Dr Ian Brennan

Ian is a Marie Curie Research Fellow at the Natural History Museum in London. His main interest is reptiles, particularly snakes, and his current research revolves around phylogenetics and macroevolution. At the moment, Ian is investigating temporal and among-clade trends in diversification namely in morphological traits such as body size and shape.

He completed his Masters degree at Villanova University, working on squamate systematics across Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia and select Pacific islands. Ian completed his PhD and was a postdoctoral researcher at the Australian National University, where he carried out his doctoral research on identifying and modelling macroevolutionary patterns and diversification dynamics of Australian vertebrates.
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