Big brains are very useful, but they cost ENERGY and RESOURCES, at least for mammals and birds. Now a new study has shed light on what determines whether reptiles and amphibian species have evolved to be clever, or nice but dim. We also discuss cannibalism by snakes, which is actually pretty common albeit difficult to document due to their secretive lifestyles.Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlightsMerch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shopFull reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.comMain Paper References:Song Z, Griesser M, Schuppli C, Van Schaik CP. 2023. Does the expensive brain hypothesis apply to amphibians and reptiles? BMC Ecology and Evolution Falcão BB, São Pedro VA, Entiauspe‐Neto OM. 2026. Occurrence and evolution of cannibal behaviour in extant snakes. Biological Reviews Other Links/Mentions:Rana catesbeiana call by Carlos Davidson and Cynthia Kaufman, from AmphibiaWeb. 2026. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 30 Apr 2026. https://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?special=call&genus=Rana&species=catesbeiana Turtle Alliance conference (no tickets yet but will appear here): https://www.turtlesurvival.eu/category/events/ Editing and Music:Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed NelsonSpecies Bi-week theme – Michael TimothyOther Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com