Steve's Herpetological Blog

An insight into the life of Steve, his research and the many books he reads

Amphibians

#SciFri: Herpetofauna Workers Meeting 2024

Regular readers of this blog, as well as those in the field will know that the beginning of February is a busy time for herpetologists. It is a time which has historically marked the beginning of the field season, when…

#SciFri: ARC-BHS Joint Scientific Meeting 2023

Ahhh, the first weekend of December. For most of you it may be the start of your Christmas countdown, but for us herpetologists it is the timing of the annual Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust – British Herpetological Society Join…

#SciFri: 22nd European Congress of Herpetology

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past month, you’re probably aware that earlier in September I spent a week in Wolverhampton for the 22nd European Congress of Herpetology, organised by the Societas Europaea Herpetologica (SEH) and a…

#StevesLibrary: Tadpole Hunter

It is rare that I get the chance to review a book with a herpetological theme (there aren’t many of them out there despite my best efforts to pitch my ideas to publishers), but that changes this week! Tadpole Hunter…

#SciFri: Searching for salamanders in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

If you wanted to create somewhere for herpetologists to flock in their hundreds, I could think of no better place than the Appalachian Mountains. The Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the…

#SciFri: GARD2022

If you read last week’s #SciFri post, you’ll know know that this time last year I was visiting Knoxville, Tennessee for the first Global Amphibian and Reptile Disease (GARD) conference. Aside from being the ideal place to network, and hear…

#SciFri: ARC-BHS Joint Scientific Meeting 2021

It’s a shame that we are still yet to return to in-person conferences, I’m still looking forward to that day. However, with the ongoing uncertainty of the Omicron variant, and COVID transmission this winter (despite the fact most people have…

#SciFri: The potential for damage from the JNCC 7th Quinquennial Review

Something happened this week but it’s taken a few days to sink in. There was news from the Amphibian and Reptile Groups UK (ARG UK), that the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) was recommending the removal of protections to species…

#SciFri: What haven’t I seen as many frogs this year?

A number of people this year have asked me why they haven’t seen as many amphibians as they usually would. I’m sure many of you are used to seeing your pond overcrowded with frogs, jostling for a chance to mate….

#SciFri: Herpetofauna Workers Meeting 2021

The Herpetofauna Workers Meeting (HWM) has been a staple event for herpetologists in the UK since the first event back in the 1980s. This year’s HWM (on the 6th and 7th February) was the 34th that have been held between…