Category: Herper of the week

Each week a “Herper” of the Week is chosen. These individuals come from all sorts of backgrounds but they all have one common interest – “herps” (reptiles and amphibians). Hopefully, you will learn about them and their important work.

The Herper of this Week is Dr. Julia E. Earl, assistant professor of aquatic ecology at the Louisiana Tech University. She earned her Ph.D in  Biological Sciences in 2012 from the University of Missouri . Her dissertation focused on the effects of leaves from forests on pond ecosystems and amphibians.

Her lab focuses on a few different topics. One of the topics is the effect of Ranavirus on population dynamics. Dr. Earl created population models of the Dusky Gopher Frog, Wood Frog, and the Boreal Toad to explore if the introduction of Ranavirus could cause population extinctions. She also studies climate changes effects on animals’ long-distance movement paths including bison, coyotes, and deer. In relation to amphibians, she researches the different forestry practices and how they affect amphibians in hopes of protecting amphibians while still reaching the forestry goals.

You can visit her website at https://sites.google.com/site/juliaeearl/home and visit her twitter at @Julia_E_Earl

Each week a “Herper” of the Week is chosen. These individuals come from all sorts of backgrounds but they all have one common interest – “herps” (reptiles and amphibians). Hopefully, you will learn about them and their important work.

This week’s herper is Dr. Heather L. Bateman, associate professor at Arizona State University, Polytechnic since 2008. She earned her doctorate from the University of New Mexico. Her current research focus on management of riparian or floodplain habitats with focus on reptiles, amphibians, and birds.

You can follow her on twitter at @BatemanHL  and visit her lab webpage at http://hbateman.faculty.asu.edu/research/

Each week a “Herper” of the Week is chosen. These individuals come from all sorts of backgrounds but they all have one common interest – “herps” (reptiles and amphibians). Hopefully, you will learn about them and their important work.

This week’s Herper is Dr. Shab Mohammadi, Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the Storz Lab. She earned her Ph.D from Utah State. Her dissertation was on molecular and physiological mechanisms of toxins resistance in toad-eating snakes.

Her herp journey is not a common one but an important one. Born in Iran, her family and her left due to the revolution. Her family move around and eventually settled in Canada as refugees. Later, they moved to Washington D.C. in the United States. She is a great example of why we need to help refugees from around the world.

You can visit her site at – https://shabnammohammadi.weebly.com/ and follow her on twitter @Bufadienolides

Each week a “Herper” of the Week is chosen. These individuals come from all sorts of backgrounds but they all have one common interest – “herps” (reptiles and amphibians). Hopefully, you will learn about them and their important work.

This week’s Herper is Dr. Kate Mansfield,  associate professor at the University of Central Florida and lab director of the UCF Marine Turtle Research Group. Obviously, her research focuses on sea turtle including their biology, ecology, and conservation. Her recent project was testing solar powered satellite tags on young turtles to track their early dispersal and habitat use.

The UCF Marine Turtle Research Group has done research at the sea turtle nesting sites at Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (ACNWR) for over 30 years. The ACNWR is home to over 25% of all nesting sites for green turtles and loggerhead turtles in North America. The group maintains a database about the sea turtles that helps federal, state, and international organizations manage their populations of the turtles.

Each week a “Herper” of the Week is chosen. These individuals come from all sorts of backgrounds but they all have one common interest – “herps” (reptiles and amphibians). Hopefully, you will learn about them and their important work. This week’s Herper if Hiral Naik, a conservationist from South Africa.

Hiral Naik earned her Master’s of Science degree in Ecology, Environment and Conservation from the University of Witwatersrand. Her research was on the evolutionary pattern of the diets of snakes in the family Lamprophiidae.

She is currently a blogger for Conservation Careers, where she interviews conservationists and writes articles about them. She is a Project Coordinator with Wildserv, where she is working to get groups to help remove invasive species and plant native trees instead. Lastly, she is a communications coordinator with Save the Snakes.

Each week a “Herper” of the Week is chosen. These individuals come from all sorts of backgrounds but they all have one common interest – “herps” (reptiles and amphibians). Hopefully, you will learn about them and their important work.

This week’s Herper is Jeremy Cohen Ph.D, a post doctoral researcher at Rohr Ecology Lab at the University of South Florida. His research focuses on how climate and climate change affect diseases, especially Chytrid Fungus, a disease that is wiping out amphibian species around the world.

Each week a “Herper” of the Week is chosen. These individuals come from all sorts of backgrounds but they all have one common interest – “herps” (reptiles and amphibians). Hopefully, you will learn about them and their important work.

This week’s Herper is Annette Evans, Ph.D candidate at the University of Connecticut. Her research focuses on the evolutionary responses of the Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) to climate change.

Each week a “Herper” of the Week is chosen. These individuals come from all sorts of backgrounds but they all have one common interest – “herps” (reptiles and amphibians). Hopefully, you will learn about them and their important work.

This week’s Herper is Dr. Richard Shine, Professor of Biology at the University of Sydney, president of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR), and Laureate Fellow of the Australian Research Council.

Dr Shine’s research focuses on the evolution and ecology of reptiles and lizards but his research has shifted more towards conservation especially control of invasive species such as the Cane Toad. To learn more about his research, visit his lab’s website.