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Showing posts from April, 2019

A Message from our Friends and Partners at the Amphibian & Reptile Conservancy

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Frosted Flatwoods Salamander Bonanza Campaign URL Copy Facebook 0 likes Twitter 0 tweets Google +1 Subscribe Past Issues RSS Translate English العربية Afrikaans беларуская мова български català 中文(简体) 中文(繁體) Hrvatski Česky Dansk eesti keel Nederlands Suomi Français Deutsch Ελληνική हिन्दी Magyar Gaeilge Indonesia íslenska Italiano 日本語 ភាសាខ្មែរ 한국어 македонски јазик بهاس ملايو Malti Norsk Polski Português Português - Portugal Română Русский Español Kiswahili Svenska עברית Lietuvių latviešu slovenčina slovenščina српски தமிழ் ภาษาไทย Türkçe Filipino украї́нська Tiếng Việt Part 2: Early Season Success in the South

2019 Status Update: the Atlantic clade of the Frosted Flatwoods Salamander, part 2

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With the support of our partners at the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy , we were able to make another trip this season to Fort Stewart, GA to search for the endangered Frosted Flatwoods Salamander ( Ambystoma cingulatum ). Other partners on the project are the US Army, GA DNR and USFWS. If you didn't see our post a few weeks ago, Fort Stewart has the last known population of Atlantic clade Frosted Flatwoods Salamanders on the planet. ( click here to see 'Part 1' of the story ). We have been working with Fort Stewart Biologists Larry Carlile, Tim Beaty and Roy King on identifying where on the base these salamanders are still present, as well as collecting a portion of the larvae for the establishment of the world's only captive propagation colony for the species. This time, we were also assisted by students from my Biology of Amphibians class at Agnes Scott , as well as dedicated Ft Stewart staff and USFWS. The first detection of the year award goes to Miran

It's that time of year again — Copperheads!

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(photography by Miranda Swaim of Blue Heron Nature Preserve) Last week, I got a call on the early side of the morning. It was Miranda from Blue Heron Nature Preserve (our partner and landlord). She relayed a message from the DaVinci International School (also in the same building with us) that there was a snake just off their back deck and were worried it was a Copperhead! Through our calls with the Copperhead Rescue & Advocacy Program, we know that only 6% of our calls are actually Copperheads, but seeing as little kids were involved and I was right upstairs, I went down to check it out. The school took all of the children indoors and as I made my way outside to get a look at the snake, I was amazed. Not only was it indeed a Copperhead, but it was in the most striking (meaning beautiful, not 'striking' at my face or anything) pose I had ever seen! An adult Copperhead ( Agkistrodon contortrix ) several feet above the ground in a blooming azalea. What a sight t

Formal and Casual Learning Opportunities for Adults

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Two of or biggest and most popular programs for adults have kicked off in 2019, and we have been having a great time with these opportunities. Our Critters & Cabernet program, which technically started at the Atlanta Science Festival in 2018, relaunched again this March and now continues on the first Friday of every month. C & C is a great way to learn about these fascinating animals in a relaxed environment — with wine! Our informal slogan for Critters & Cabernet is ' Reptiles and alcohol — What could go wrong ?' For April's offering we discussed Frogs , and had a wonderful time exploring and even handling some amazing species of frogs. Next month — Salamanders ! For more information, click here. During the Atlanta Science Festival, we offered an introduction to Critters and Cabernet, focusing on many different species of reptile and amphibian. Pictured here is a Corn Snake Crystal Mandica, Co-Founder of the Amphibian Foundation is also an instr