Reptiles at Risk

Trust in the knowledge of your children...

Posted by Jeff Hathaway on September 24, 2009 at 12:16 PM

Hello everyone!
I recently came across a blog posting by a fellow herpetologist down in the southeastern states. I thouroughly enjoy all of his postings, and while they focus on the reptiles and amphibians that live in those southern states, many of the themes are common to reptile and amphibian conservation continent wide. We spend a great deal of our time teaching children and families, with the hopes that one day they will teach their children. The posting [which can be accessed at http://davidasteen.blogspot.com/2009/09/big-snake-in-newark-delaware.html] covers the story of a large snake spotted in Newark, Delaware. This type of news really encourages us to keep up the work that we are doing. The children of today are being taught more each day about the wildlife that surrounds them. The hard part is being able to believe the knowledge that the children of today have stored in their brains.

For those who are interested in other biology works that are written for the everyday person, check out the rest of David Steen's blog (http://davidasteen.blogspot.com/).
For those with a bit more time on your hands, check out these books:
Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction by David Quammen
Snakebit: Confessions of a Herpetologist by Leslie Anthony
Flight of the Iguana: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature by David Quammen
The Lizard King by Bryan Christy

For the younger crowds, I myself find the "Uncover Books" extremely fascinating and filled with excellent factoids about the critters. I own the frog version, and have seen the cobra version as well (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Uncover-Cobra-Books/dp/1592233767).

Happy reading!
--M