Davidson College Herpetology Lab

In early November, we had the pleasure of hosting Kathryn Tate, a biology senior at Davidson College, and a colleague from Davidson's Herpetology Laboratory. These students came to Woodlawn to share their expertise in herpetology, which is the study of reptiles and amphibians. They first introduced us to some interesting amphibians, including the spotted salamander and the marbled salamander. The reptiles were a bit more lively. The colorful Argentinean frog was quite a sight. Did you know that the box turtle is the only one that can completely retreat into its shell? The musk turtle luckily kept his smell to himself. The best part of the visiting reptiles was definitely the snakes. The rubber boa, corn snake, king snake, and black rat snake all slithered through the fingers of the Woodlawn students and right into their curiosity.

In January, the 3rd/4th graders took this experience one step further and prepared web-based field guides for specific reptiles and amphibians that are native to this area of the country. In addition, we began working in conjunction with the Herpetology Lab to set up coverboards (that reptiles like to nest under) on the Woodlawn campus.