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October, 2005 Monthly Meeting: Gary W. Gerald: Ecology of the Rare Northern Pine Snake.

October, 2005 Monthly Meeting:

Gary Gerald: "Ecology of of the Rare Northern Pine Snake".

Gary Gerald, who current teaches Herpetology at Miami University of Ohio, conducted field research on the rare and elusive Northern Pine Snake (Pituophis m. melanoleucus),in Tennessee for his Master?s project. Everyone who has spent time looking for pine snakes understands that they are a very difficult snake to find, and many believe that their numbers are decreasing. Pine snakes are very unique, large, and attractive snakes that spend much of their time underground. With an enlarged rostral (end of nose) scale they are well-equipped for digging. In some areas, they are known to create their own burrows. Gary?s talk will undoubtedly give us some inside information on how and where these unique animals live in the wild.

Meet the Speaker:

(A short auto-biography from Gary Gerald)

My interest in snakes, along with other amphibians and reptiles, began as a teenager somewhat accidentally. I got a part-time job at a local pet store in Nashville, Tennessee where I was born and raised. I got the job because of my interest in fish and I cared very little about amphibians and reptiles at the time. While working at the pet store, I was required to learn about and take care of the store?s amphibians and reptiles. Consequently, I developed an interest in herps, especially snakes. I began to learn as much as possible about herps on my own. As a sophomore at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), I decided to major in biology and pursue a career in herpetology. In addition to taking classes in biology, I had the opportunity to do an internship at the Nashville Zoo where I assisted with the husbandry of amphibians and reptiles.

As a senior in 2000, I had an opportunity to get involved with research being conducted by Dr. Brian Miller. At Arnold Air Force Base (AAFB) in Middle Tennessee, Dr. Miller was leading an investigation to locate the breeding sites of the northern-most, disjunct population of gopher frogs. I spent hours in the field looking and listening for these frogs (and other herps). Additionally, I helped with herpetofaunal surveys at other sites in Tennessee that include a large cedar glade in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

After graduating, I decided to stay at MTSU for my Master?s degree. For my research project, I (along with Mark Bailey and Jeff Holmes) conducted a radio-telemetry study of the rare Northern Pinesnake at AAFB. We discovered a relatively large, cryptic population of Pinesnakes present in an abandoned area that was once a camp for German and Italian POW?s during World War II. After receiving my Master?s degree in 2003, I moved to Oxford, Ohio to obtain my doctoral degree at Miami University. Currently, I am conducting research on the locomotor performance of snakes to examine potential trade-offs in locomotor abilities. In the future, I hope to combine field and laboratory studies of snake physiology, ecology, and behavior of snakes in the U.S. and overseas.

Here is a photo of one of the Northern Pine Snakes at Gary?s study site:

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