Whit Gibbons, Herpetologist and Author
SOMETIMES PEOPLE ASK UNUSUAL QUESTIONS ABOUT SNAKES I have answered questions about snakes for decades. During the last two, with the advent of camera phones, I enjoy being able to identify snakes people encounter. Equally enjoyable is educating folks about … Continued
Q. I know tortoises live on land. Does that mean box turtles (which also live on land) are tortoises? How many true tortoises are there, what parts of the world do they live in and how big do they get? … Continued
President Teddy Roosevelt, the quintessential conservationist, said, “A grove of giant redwoods or sequoias should be kept just as we keep a great or beautiful cathedral.” Each time I am in Tucson, Ariz., I have been able to fully appreciate … Continued
Last week a college student majoring in ecology asked what my favorite turtle is. My answer: the diamondback terrapin. Anyone who has held this charismatic creature would agree it’s hard to find a more captivating turtle. Terrapins, the only U.S. … Continued
If ever a salamander was an unsung hero, it is the amphiuma. Reaching lengths of 4 feet, amphiumas are longer than any other amphibian in the Western Hemisphere. So few people ever see one, they do not even have a … Continued
I received two questions last week that are similar to ones I get each year about the dilemma facing people who have unwanted wild animals. Q. I currently have a 2-year-old female ball python. I did not think about the … Continued
Conservation gets complicated when a native U.S. species is appreciated in one part of the country but despised in another. Consider, if you will, the American bullfrog. “In the Eastern US, where it’s native, its oversized impact is a good … Continued
The ecological importance of American alligators as top predators has long been established. A paper recently published in the online scientific journal Animals (MDPI) presents new information about these imposing animals. Thomas Rainwater, a research scientist at South Carolina’s Tom … Continued
Want to participate in an exciting, possibly dangerous, field trip while trekking through a jungle or exploring an underwater cave? Would you like to stand alone in the dark in a Colorado pond surrounded by thigh-deep snow waiting for frogs … Continued
I received the following questions recently. The answers are pertinent for the season. Q. I will be visiting family in Alabama, Florida and South Carolina and like to look for snakes for fun wherever I am. How likely am I … Continued