Pumas and Slither the Gopher Snake: SciShow Talk Show #12

Hank and Katherine talk about the wild cat known variously as a puma, mountain lion, cougar, panther and catamount and then Jessi from Animal Wonders brings a special animal guest to visit.
Learn more about Slither! www.animalwonde...
Want more animals? Check out Animal Wonders Inc. at www.animalwonde... or on KZbin at / anmlwndrs
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[@SomeDudeOnline]

VENOMOUS not poisonous COMMON HANK!

[@andycocchia4202]

come on*

[@glennsommer8901]

@@andycocchia4202 dialect is not a spelling matter

[@Andthatsonthat]

Hank Green went to Winter Park?? I grew up so close to where he did!

[@ABitOfTheUniverse]

1:16 The subfamily of the family Felidae is spelled Pantherinae, not Panteranae. The family felidae also includes felinae, which are small and medium sized cats like cougars, cheetahs, lynxes, ocelots, and domestic cats. Pantherinae, or big cats, include tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards.

[@heatherphillips3692]

Venemous, not Poisonous

[@Shrimp_Rider]

Simmons: oh ill do it too

[@ultraNewt]

was this recorded before the venom episode, or do you not learn what you say on the show?

[@coffinnail7810]

I've never heard any where that a garter snake was poisonous to eat. I looked it up and the common garter snake has a of predators including man.

[@ckalas]

OSX Puma doesnt quite have the same ring to it

[@Doesthings]

Just to let you know in the English language puma is said not "poo-ma" but peuma"

[@AZMODEVS]

Husband and Wife Duos are the SHYT

[@DarkPrinceRaven99]

Yep, that's the the proper English pronunciation.

[@TheMGOkilla]

Damn I am so going to read up on them and buy a damn snake when i get my own place... Freakin' love snakes.

[@mrklws64]

I knew that you and John were from Florida but apparently we went to the same high school as well. Although you guys probably graduated a few years before me seeing as Vlogbrothers started two years before I graduated from Winter Park. : )

[@MatthewJBRO]

Would Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul be a species in panthera

[@leigha.b.1875]

Bull snake = good, rattle snake = bad. We have bill snakes over in WA state too! Close to my house actually....... Like... My front yard......

[@LaineyBug2020]

I love that Katherine acknowledged the snake cuddles! I used to have a ball python & she loved cuddles! When she wasn't around my neck she would just curl up on my chest with me & chill while we watched TV.

[@PixieoftheWood]

But a panther would be in the panthera family, because a panther isn't it's own kind of cat, it's just a leopard with a black coat.

[@bigbrain2246]

+PixieoftheWood Exactly what I was thinking

[@oranjizer]

They are not talking about the non american panther term used for leopards... they are talking about the american panther term used for cougar/puma/catamount/mountain lion... thats why she said the panther a.k.a puma is NOT in the panthera family.. got it?

[@Skitten24]

Every time they said "Lions and Tigers" I said in my head "And Bears Oh My" Any one esle??

[@janamejaysharma4679]

The Talk shows are the best!

[@rougesunset]

Ouch not only did Hank refer to venomous snakes as "poisonous", but so did the handler :/ Yikes.

[@Zminchu]

His wife is pretty. :3

[@khipp13]

There are no poisonous snakes. There are venomous snakes. Poison is ingested while venom is injected via bite or sting. While some snake parts may be toxic for humans to consume, some snakes are venomous, not poisonous.

[@exodusii5556]

Maybe there is a poisonous snake and we just don't know it yet (;

[@dc84c]

well some snakes spit venom so you could end up swallowing it and get poisoned

[@davidlindquist1499]

4:50 isn't a rattle snake. Looks like some species of Nerodia

[@22Kyu]

Why do I feel Katherine is so beautiful?! and why do I like Hank so much?!! :D

[@KasisnuSingh]

"A black panther is typically a melanistic color variant of any Panthera species." - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_panther

[@jasonmarkovich9685]

I think she meant that there is no species called a "panther" or "black panther"

[@oranjizer]

They were not talking about the panther you mentioned... they were talking about the american panther term used for the puma, hence the American panther is NOT of a panther family...

[@KasisnuSingh]

Hey, thanks for pointing that out.

[@TheMrBubblefish]

Fun fact: snakes that have their venom glands removed can't digest food as well because the venom glands also secret saliva and enzymes that they need for digestion.

[@MrTychom]

the first snake in the picture that is supposed to be a real rattlesnake with somewhat the same pattern, actually isn't a rattlesnake....?

[@kylafurey7081]

Technically panthers are melanistic jaguars, so if jaguars are in pantarenae, then panthers would be too.

[@savagegardenrox]

Panther can refer to any melanistic cat. Black pumas are panthers too.

[@kylafurey7081]

Yes, but Catherine's comment that panthers are not in "panthera" is not really true.

[@ElaMongrella]

Actually, she is right. Panthers are cougars. They can be black or beige/yellow/whatever you want to call it. The fact that most people call black leopards or jaguars "panther" as well (because they initially thought they were all black cougars), makes no difference. It's a mistake, made by the public, to call black leopards or jaguars "panther". Actual panthers are not in that group.

[@syystomu]

Ela Mongrella I got curious so I looked it up and apparently "panther" can be correctly used of any big feline, so there's no one specific species that's THE actual panther. The usage seems to depend on the region: for North Americans it's a cougar, for South Americans it's a jaguar, for Africans and Asians (and I think most Europeans too) it's a Leopard. The word comes from Greek (through Latin) but it's originally from some unknown other language (possibly some Indo-Iranian language that has already disappeared?), related to the Sanskrit word pundarikam which means "tiger". Using it for cougars is a relatively new thing, obviously, since it's an old Eurasian word for an animal that Eurasians wouldn't have even known about before early modern period. Scientifically, I guess you could argue that it would mean members the Panthera genus?

[@ElaMongrella]

Yes, but she was referring to the cougar as panther, when she said it wasn't in that group. Whether or not the term can be used for others, is irrelevant, since it's obvious what she meant. Even if technically, some panthers are in the group, she was specifically talking about cougars.

[@Gatitasecsii]

It's awesome to touch them, yeah :D I love snakes. I love hugging boa constrictors x3

[@taylor-ray4893]

Hank is so cute and adorable. I've developed a nerd crush. >///

[@7337blackwolf]

I grew up with two ball pythons and a 13 foot red tailed boa. I would walk around my house with a snake around my neck, and my friends found it weird. Awesome thing is, though, my favorite teacher has a ball python in the classroom, and he lets me hold the snake in class once in a while. Needless to say, it freaks my classmates out... :)

[@walkerweyland5808]

CAT-herine, Katherine. Get it!

[@Rolandais]

The Panther is not an actual Species of Cat the Leopard, Cougar and Jaguar are all "Panthers" the black Panther is a type of colouring of these three, that is solid black, and the White Panther is a white solid coloured cat of the same three.

[@MadamFoogie]

I almost cried when one time my neighbor mistook a gopher snake for a rattle snake and beheaded it with a shovel. Sometimes evolutionary advantages have their disadvantages. Stupid people kill you for no reason. >:

[@MaggieRumpca7]

I remember in kindergarten a lady brought in some animals including a 6ft boa constrictor. I was the only kid brave enough to let her put it around my neck. They really are just muscle ropes. It's weird and awesomesauce

[@SaruChan28]

Panthers. They are not a thing. Panthers in the sense of melanistic leopards are in the panthera genus whereas panthers in the sense of melanistic cougars are not.

[@iota-09]

maybe i'm wrong but i think i heard "my waife"... didn't hank said in another video that he would have just been "a lonely science man"?

[@randybuttigieg6776]

Hey just a suggestion for these talk shows, don't say yeah yup right so much while the speaker is talking, I found it distracting.

[@LifeNShit]

I feel like it's slightly important to note that there are no actual 'panthers' in existence. Even the Florida Panther is a puma.

[@Cobalt360Degrees]

I love snakes. My cousin has a ball python. Her name is Lucy. :3 She's so soft and smooth, and she's just the sweetest thing!

[@TimelessParadoxx]

I always get the feeling that Jessi and Emily would be great friends (if they aren't already). Living animals to Jessi are like dead ones to Emily, and they both do an amazing job at showing us how wonderful they are. Awesome!

[@zaxmom2006]

I love how excited and enthusiastic they are about all of the animals. It's so fun!

[@ShevyLewis]

LMAO "now is the time to see a real animal in the studio" they didnt actually see that animal right after only we did

[@riderlibertas2580]

I love Katherine's visits to the show. I too love cats and still manage to learn something new from her every time.

[@deathrooster14]

Awww she's so cute! :3 The snake that is.

[@mintoo2cool]

So, man-made arrangement => different breeds. natural arrangement => subspecies. Got it.

[@ssssssuperman]

this snake is actually a major help against my fear of snakes xd, such a sweet creature

[@sellyjack]

no the vlog brither's have so manny shows, i like her here and please dont make more

[@jacobbradley3001]

Can someone tell me how a snake moves? otherwise scishow should do a video about it

[@Haruta18]

I would not be opposed to a segment on Katherine just talking about cats. =^ㅅ^=

[@MrPinknumber]

that snake is super cute !

[@ReasonableEnemy]

They kind of look exactly the same. When they have kids they gonna be clones

[@kito323]

i bet if she would go to Hogwarts, she would be put in the Slytherin House

[@HShango]

the scales on the skin of a snake is amazingly beautiful and unique in everyway

[@kristianguarino2946]

Finally a snake! I've been wanting to see one on the show forever.

[@cruzlc875]

Hank's shirt changed colors to camouflage throughout the day.

[@IstasPumaNevada]

That is the most chill, patient snake I have ever seen.

[@Exclaimer999]

I thought Slither was the executive producer.

[@kurtilein3]

its unused and rudimentary because evolutionarily their ancestors have two, like we do, but just having one fits their body structure much better. And that one is already quite long and thin, with two it would be even thinner. You cant have a lung that is too thin or it wont breathe properly and instead just push the same used air back and forth.

[@linefortier8595]

THREE nice and smart mammalian, and a cute snake...Already six years...OMG . GO ON , my "kids"!!! (4-06-2020)

[@DruneKelly]

Uhmmm Gophers are NOT the longest or largest North American snakes. The Indigo snake is. (Drymarchon couperi). Gophers and bull snakes are two different species of pituophis colubrid. Their scaleation is different between the species. Bull snakes are yet another species and then you have speciations and locale specific colors and varieties. Not crticising your video just wanted to correct the information is all. Still, grwat video!!

[@Greater98er]

I never look up just "Wilcat", and always look up "Grumman Wildcat" or "Hellcat".

[@dinoboyoutuification]

Slither should get her own show.

[@JoyThirsty3]

Pretty snake! Interesting too.

[@pancreasnostalgia]

That mascot was the Linfield College Wildcats. Not too far from where I live and I looked into their nursing program.

[@Megneous]

I cringed every time Hank said "poisonous."

[@nettlescats3796]

Katherine is the best:)

[@TurtleGold22]

when I hear wildcat I don't think of the big ones. I think of ocelot and bobcats and lynx. the little wild cats. I just think of Tigers as tigers.

[@lukethomas658]

I've been sick and binging scishow. I think Jessi is the most informed and articulate of the experts.

[@ThinBlackBones]

Panther's are not an actual species of cat. The term 'panther' is a bit of a catch all. The term is most often used to describe 'black panther's' which are actually leopards or jaguar' with melanistic genes. It is also attributed to 'panthers' in Florida (which are cougars) Cougars belong to the Puma genus of the Felidae family. Which is quite cool, because the Felinae subfamily that the cougar belongs to is the same subfamily as the domestic cat. I love cats.

[@DavidDigh]

The most famously known Panthers I've heard of, in the USA, are Melanistic Leopards and Jaguars as well, which would put the 'panther' firmly into the Panterae family. I wonder if Hank could get a reply as to why this episode seems to state that is false. My main thought is that on research, I found that 'Panther' does not officially relate to any specific big cat species and, instead, describes the melanistic varieties of certain known big cat species (leopard, jaguar, perhaps others).

[@WhitneyBuchman]

The Florida panthers were purposefully crossed with the Texas bloodline of pumas. Their populations became too small and issues with inbreeding were showing up. This ended up strengthening the pumas of the Florida region. The longest snake in North America is the Eastern indigo snake. It shares the common name of gopher snake, but is not in the same genus as bullsnakes, pine snakes, and this gopher snake.

[@WhitneyBuchman]

I love the show, but this episode I have some issues with. I am a zoo educator by day and there were some inaccurate statements. The term panther actually does not belong to any species. It is a generic term attached to all large cats that are melanistic (black). Commonly used to describe black jaguars, pumas and leopards. Also there are no poisonous snakes to my knowledge. There are venomous and nonvenomous. Their toxins require injection to work. Poison in biology requires adbsorbtion.

[@themonkeymoo]

It's an artifact of evolution.As snakes were evolving from an earlier lizard-like reptile and their bodies were becoming more cylindrical and proportionally narrower, having two symmetrical lungs was probably detrimental in some way. The snake's musculature probably works better with a single lung than with two, and the feeding method(swallowing prey whole) doubtless would provide some difficulties with breathing while swallowing(which may also have been mitigated by allowing one lung to atrophy

[@Hugh.Manatee]

The term Panther means a lot of different things, mostly dependent on where the speaker is from. In the US, most people use Puma and Panther as synonyms. In South america Panther is used to refer either to black Jaguars or as synonymous with Jaguar (regardless of colour). In the UK I've heard both your version (Panther = black Leopard) and the distinction between Asian and African Leopards (Leopards are from Africa, Panthers are from Asia).

[@nightingale42]

funny story about pumas - when i was in the 10th grade i was taking a zoology class and they came up. my teacher and i got into it in the middle of class - i kept telling him that pumas, mountain lions and cougars were all the same thing. he denied it adamantly with that annoying little indulgent smile on his face. i eventually gave up and dropped it. the next day he pulled me aside and apologized, saying he was wrong. Apparently the rest of the students didn't deserve to know. fucking ego.

[@ltericdavis2237]

Technically any animal in the Pantherinae subfamily can be called a panther, so melanistic versions are called panthers because it is harder to identify cats without there usual markings. Puma, which they were talking about, used to be thought to be in the Pantherinea subfamily, and have been called panthers. Pumas are now believed to be in the Felinea subfamily, so calling it a panther is inaccurate, but still used.

[@artemisa92]

Yes. I did look Wikipedia to find the proper term in English to describe the particular colouration of an animal (English is not my native language). The fact that black jaguars and black leopards are called panthers is something I learned in a zoo. My intention was never to offend anybody (on the contrary I admire Hank), and aware as I am of my "non-biologist" status I write my commentary as a question with not the smallest intention of sarcasm, which means I did not "assume" anything.

[@toddgreener]

Wikipedia says that a panther isn't actually a species, but a term that can apply to many different kinds of cat including the "florida panther" which is really a subspecies of cougar. "Puma" is a genus that contains cougars and jaguarundi as well as a colloquial term for a cougar. Sorry for the terminology stickling, but this is an argument I've been in pretty much my whole life.

[@EcceJack]

I was like "yeah, well, so they filmed the animal part first and the talking part later.. and he forgot he changed shirts for some reason", but then in the end (in the shirt from the animal part) he said, as a way of explanation, "My shirt changed colours..." - HOW could he know in both parts that his shirt did/would change colours??! :O

[@jillrod8039]

two points: I love how Hank and Katherine start to baby talk when addressing the Slither, it's adorable. And did anybody else think the snake was getting irritated with Jessie when she was moving her around to demonstrate certain behaviors? I could almost see her thinking "Woman! Get off of me, I'm trying to find out if there is a mouse in here!"

[@VianTheGryphon]

It's strange, as a Brit I got very confused when it was said panthers weren't a member of Panthera, because I have always known melanistic leopards and jaguars as panthers. Never have I heard the word panther used to describe a cougar/mountain lion/puma. Also I never knew the Puma was in it's own family. Thanks Sci-Show, for teaching me something I didn't know about cats.

[@TheReliquarian]

The connective tube between the lungs and mouth is the trachea; that being the case, it sound like snakes don't have a larynx (the portion of the throat that separates your trachea and esophagus (stomach tube)), or if they do it's situated in a different way from ours. This is why I love SciShow, all the cool stuff we get to learn!

[@IONATVS]

that's how it's pronounced in the classical dialect of Latin, but the standard English pronunciation of direct Latin borrowings on both sides of the pond is based on the ecclesiastical dialect, which pronounces "ae" and "oe" like the Latin "e" (which IS the same in both dialects) and is pronounced like the -ay in bay.

[@loxodontavictori]

Really quickly I wanted to ask, why is it that some species and subspecies can inter breed like polar bears and grizzle bears, or pumas and other pumas, but some subspecies not species, but subspecies can not, like the pinta island turtle (lonesome george died june 23rd 2012) cannot breed with other subspecies?

[@tapp06]

I really love Sci-show and this Talk Show idea for it but for some reason today i was bored before the animals came out. Jesse really knows her stuff and can talk about them very easily and naturally. Prior to this the show was dull and felt improvised and somewhat under prepared. Still giving it a thumb up and will keep watching though :)

[@SuperCatonline]

Hog noses are venomous but rear fanged with only a mild venom (causes only localised swelling and some pain). Any snakes tame enough not to bite will probably not exhibit the other behaviours that you mentioned but I totally agree that they should have one on, if only because of their cute upturned noses!

[@mintoo2cool]

I have a question. What is the difference between breeds of same species and sub-species within a species. I mean we have interbred dogs and cats for centuries now... and sounds like these pumas also do the same thing, on their own ... so what is the difference ?

[@EducatorNC]

Love the cat info. But, please do not encourage folks to put constrictor snakes around their neck...not a good habit. Any constrictor can be very strong, strong enough to strangle someone, especially a child. I've seen folks place pythons around their neck...scary.

[@rezox]

actually panthers are just fully black wild cats but could be from different species. In america,wild 'black panthers' may be black jaguars while in Asia and Africa, black leopards. its like bieng albino but backwards So basically panthers do belong to the panteranae family

[@Meggadezz]

As far as I know, the 2nd is used when they eat, because the other one is blocked by the prey. Also, they have a... tube or how you call the connection from mouth to lung, hanging out of the mouth a little if they eat. I don't know if this applies to all snakes.

[@JoyThirsty3]

Maybe you could discuss migraines and cluster headaches sometime? Cluster headaches are also called Suicide Headaches. Or maybe you could discuss microcephalism in humans? You could talk about sanitation and hygeine practices during the middle ages? Just some ideas. No pressure!

[@inscept]

Interestingly in addition to the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryl) and the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) there is a third large carnivore species native to Florida: The American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) - 2000 of which live in the Florida Keys and Everglades.

[@tex959]

The longest North American snake is the bull/gopher snake? It's actually the Indigo. The longest bull snake was just under 8.5ft. The Eastern Indigos get a bit larger than Bull snakes with a max length of 9.2 ft. The coach-whip snake usually average the same length of a bull snake.

[@Nicomis11]

The part at the end where Katherine is holding Slither and Hank is leaning in petting her, so cute. They are the best couple. Also, I would love to see John Green meeting some weird animals. Considering his fear of squirrels I imagine it could be good fun KZbin entertainment.

[@MeganEGee]

"thanks for the cuddles" AWWW

[@myriamkaye8]

I can see that you acquired your puma/cougar range map from wikipedia which strangely ends at the Canada / US border. I can assure you that they exist throughout the Alberta, BC and Yukon Rocky Mountains and even up into the southern portion of Alaska.

[@madisonyost5587]

Pet peeve here, but correct me if I'm wrong: Isn't the proper term for a snake with venom "venemous" and not "poisonous"? I was under the impression that poison referred to something that is ingested, and venom refers to something that is injected

[@DarkPrinceRaven99]

While that's true, when I said English I meant the various British English dialects spoken by the English, not the language. As far as the language goes the US can make up as many ways to pronounce things as it wants, doesn't excuse their spelling though.

[@ghelyar]

phonetically, "pjuːmə". If you don't read IPA phonetics, pyew-ma. I don't know if this link will work but here's a wav sound file of it: bit.ly /141bumS This actually applies to a lot of words e.g. tube pronounced as toob or tyewb