This article was first published in the February 27, 2019 Virginia Tech News https://vtnews.vt.edu/. A team of paleontologists led by Virginia Tech’s Michelle Stocker and Sterling Nesbitt of the Department of Geosciences have identified fossil fragments of what are thought to be the oldest known frogs in North America. The fossils are composed of […]
Although we have thousands of extant (currently living) reptiles around the globe, there are many interesting extinct ones as well! Here are just a sampling of some of the amazing fossils that have been found of extinct reptiles! Titanoboa model on display. See the humans in the background for a comparison in size. Photo […]
Although we have thousands of extant (currently living) amphibians around the globe, there are many interesting extinct ones as well! Here are just a sampling of some of the amazing fossils that have been found of extinct amphibians! Beelzebufo ampinga – The devil frog! Article from https://www.popsci.com/beelzebufo-devil-frog-bite-force-dinosaur/ Beelzebufo ampinga, so named for the ancient deity […]
We decided to ask Dr. Paul Hime who was interviewed in a previous post about hellbenders, how he became a Genomics Specialist. Dr. Hime, what is your official title? I’m a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum. My official title is “Genomics Specialist.” What is it you do? […]
For this blog we talked with Dr. Paul Hime, Genomics Specialist. Dr. Hime is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum. He is an evolutionary biologist who uses information from genomes to understand how different organisms are related and how and why species form. Dr. Hime helps us […]
Ever wonder how adults end up in their profession? Ever asked them to see if what they are doing now is what they thought they would be doing back in high school or even college? For some people, they are doing exactly what they thought they would do, for others they have found a new […]
While reptiles and amphibians may seem similar to most people, they are really very different groups of organisms that are not even that closely related! At one time, reptiles and amphibians were zoologically classified as a single group due to some of their similarities and shared characteristics. Herpetology is the branch of zoology that studies […]
For Dr. Sara Ruane, summer 2018 was a whirlwind of travel and science! Here’s her account of what being a professor specializing in herpetology is like. April/May-Lamanai, Belize The first big trip I did for 2018 was in April/May to Belize for two weeks, accompanying my former PhD adviser Frank Burbrink from the American Museum […]
Career Profile Job Title: Executive Director, Co-Founder Name: Michael Starkey Employer: Save The Snakes What does a typical work day look like for you? Save The Snakes does not have a physical office, so I have the great fortune to work from home. Not having a physical office space also allows me great flexibility […]
One of the most common questions asked to herp aficionados is, “Is that snake poisonous?” This is also one of the more frustrating questions, and the terminology “poisonous snake” is used all the time. With a few exceptions, the answer is emphatically NO. BUT – there are a number of venomous snakes! So, what’s the […]
