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IamA herpetologist AMA! (self.IAmA)

submitted by SnakeScientist

My short bio: A herpetologist studies reptiles and amphibians. I take care of a collection of reptiles at a museum for a living. I'm interested to know what kind of questions people have about what I do or reptiles in general.

My Proof: http://imgur.com/gKjXAAL

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[–]Kharizma_v2 3 points4 points  (2 children)

am i the only one who thought you were talking about herpes? do u get that a lot when you tell people about your profession?

[–]SnakeScientist[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

All the time

[–]Kharizma_v2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i really do apologize about that

[–]WowMuchShiba 2 points3 points  (2 children)

I was told my toad's warts were benign. I've refrained from kissing him. Should I consult a doctor first?

[–]SnakeScientist[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sorry to say, but your toad will not turn into a prince :(

[–]PartlyDave 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Consult a fairy godmother.

[–]JustBars 4 points5 points  (3 children)

How often do the chameleons come and go??

[–]SnakeScientist[S] 1 point2 points  (2 children)

What do you mean by this question? Life span?

[–]JustBars 3 points4 points  (1 child)

'chama-chama-chama-chama-chama chameleonnnnn!

They come and goooo!"

[–]SnakeScientist[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You come and goooo!

[–]Snutchy 2 points3 points  (1 child)

I'll be serious now. I live on the eastern shore of Maryland and we're known for our Diamondback Terrapins. I'm pretty sure their usual lifespan is 8-10 years, what do you estimate that their lifespan could be if we took humans out of the equation? I don't believe they have many natural predators other than birds.

[–]SnakeScientist[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

To my knowledge, the life span is typically 25-40 years. Your question is a hard one to answer. Without the involvement of humans, most animals would live longer than their life expectancy. Our growing population demands more area, which destroys their natural habitat by development; and our wastefulness pollutes their home.

[–]chintzy 2 points3 points  (2 children)

What is the most biologically strange reptile or amphibian you can tell us about?

[–]SnakeScientist[S] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Wood frogs. They can withstand freezing temperatures by allowing a certain percentage of their body to freeze while the rest functions.

[–]ksanthra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's really cool.

[–]Snutchy 1 point2 points  (1 child)

What's your favorite dinosaur and why is it the Pterodactyl?

[–]SnakeScientist[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My favorite is the Ankyolsaurs because it could hit a home run with your Pterodactyl

[–]epringle365 0 points1 point  (2 children)

What made you like this field haha? (No one is saying anything)

[–]SnakeScientist[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I always thought snakes, lizard & amphibians were so cool as a kid. After college when I got an opportunity to work with them every day I couldn't pass it up.

[–]Snutchy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you're confused. He/she is not a doctor of Venereology.

[–]Broken1985 0 points1 point  (1 child)

The idea of the salamander regenerating parts is often brought up in paralysis research ... have you ever seen one regenerate?

[–]SnakeScientist[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have not seen a salamander but I have seen various lizards such as African blue tails, leopard geckos, fat tailed, house geckos and tokay.

[–]CrunchyBP 0 points1 point  (2 children)

How did you get your position? How competitive is the field?

[–]SnakeScientist[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I started at a lower level position and waited for my opportunity. It's competitive enough to have to take a lower position and work your way up.

[–]lehoo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What exactly was that "lower position"? Also: how hard was it to "work your way up"? Do people in these kinds of positions generally need to have a friend or family member help you with that?

[–]samcostco 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Whats your favorite Reptile?

[–]Akbiology 0 points1 point  (0 children)

do you know a herpetologist at the University of Arizona who is well established?

[–]lehoo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad you are doing this AMA, I hope I'm not too late with my questions...

  1. What did you study before working at your position? Was it your first career choice or you started with something different? Is this your "dream job"?

  2. Are you the only one taking care of them?

  3. What is it exactly you do when "taking care" of the animals? Cleaning their terrariums, feeding... do you do this stuff? If so, I guess it can sometimes get pretty boring. What are your more challenging/exciting tasks?

  4. Do the animals you take care of recognize you? If so, in what ways do they react differently than to an "outsider"? And how much time did it take for them to "get used to you"?

  5. If an animal gets somehow sick/injured, do you treat them personally or do you call a vet for them?

  6. Do these animals fight with each other sometimes? If so, what can you do, get rid of one of them? Are injuries common?

[–]Chambergarlic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for doing the AMA. Hope I am not too late.

I am a turtle lover (own nine of diferent species all kept in proper conditions).

In many countries in europe, I found that people are afraid of snakes and will kill one that they find in their garden. I find this terrible, why is no one doing anything in order to educate the public the the vast majority of snakes here are not only not dangerous but also good for us?

Did you saw the news of the new frog species found in NYC? Can you give us any insight on that?

Do you do field work? If yes, can you share an awesome story?

Inside hepetology what is your area of expertise?

[–]misspotter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome timing! I recently adopted some tadpoles (my parents drained their pond, so I moved a couple to a small aquarium). How often should I be doing a water change? (It's a decent sized tank - 15 litres - and there are only 5 tads)

Also, how soon after the tadpoles start getting their hind legs can I expect them to become frogs? (I'm planning to put them back into my parents' garden once they can hop).

[–]crimsontribe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have any thoughts on the potential risk of the brown tree snake spreading from Pacific islands to the Americas (Florida, the Caribbean, tropical Central/South America)?

Thanks!

[–]Oax_Mike 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We get a lot of iguanas in our garden and naturally we name them and become attached to them, but strangely they seem to stick around for 8-9 months and then disappear...some come back a few months later but others do not.

There is a year-round source of food here and we even feed them extra, tomato/papaya scraps mostly, which they love...but what else can we do to keep our favorite iguanas from wandering?

My guess is that some of the wandering comes from egg laying season but I know other people whose iguanas stay year in and year out, the same ones.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[–]Asbestos101 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you get people asking if you know any derpetologists?