GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Snake, frog, turtle and lizard enthusiasts from around the world will gather at the Florida Museum of Natural History’s 40th annual herpetological conference in March.
The symposium will bring together amateurs and professionals for talks, workshops and exhibits on the latest herpetology research March 25-26 at the Wyndham Garden Gainesville, 2900 SW 13th St.
Florida Museum of Natural History photo by Eric Zamora
“This will be a chance to learn about new species from all over the world, from here in Florida all the way to Africa,” said Max Nickerson, a herpetology curator at the Florida Museum. “It’s also an opportunity to meet with colleagues of diverse age groups who share common interests.”
Students with valid identification and adults can register to attend and present at the conference online or mail their registration to Max Nickerson, University of Florida, P.O. Box 117800, Gainesville, FL 32611-7800. Registration is $55 for students and $119 for adults. The cost for an adult one-day pass is $89, and a ticket to the social, dinner and live auction is $35.
Conference organizers are accepting abstracts to present from all levels of education and different areas of herpetology, including original research in conservation, natural history, ecology, evolution phylogeny, education, citizen science, zoo biology, husbandry, physiology and veterinarian medicine. The deadline to submit an abstract for presentation is March 10.
Three monetary awards, including the Arnold Grobman Best Student Paper Prize, will be given to the top presentations in three categories: general, student and poster.
The symposium features two keynote speakers: Susan Walls, research wildlife biologist with the United States Geological Survey, who will discuss “Guiding Principles for Recovery of Imperiled Species,” and herpetologist Robert Powell, who will present “Chasing Lizards in Paradise: Amphibians and Reptiles of the St. Vincent and Grenada Island Banks.”
Powell, an author of the “Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America,” will sign books at the conference, as will other book authors, including Charles , author of “Florida’s Crocodile: Biology and History of a Threatened Species,” and diamondback expert Bruce Means, executive director of the Coastal Plains Institute and adjunct professor in Florida State University’s department of biological science.
A dinner social and live auction of donated items will be held the evening of March 25. Donations will be accepted during the auction, with proceeds supporting amphibian and reptile conservation projects.
More information on presenting or attending is available online at www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/herpetology-conference/home/.
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Please make checks payable to the University of Florida Foundation/RACC with Nickerson in the memo.
Writer: Emily Mavrakis, swriterintern@flmnh.ufl.edu
Sources: Max Nickerson, maxn@flmnh.ufl.edu; Dhanya Nair, dnair@flmnh.ufl.edu