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The May, 2006 meeting will feature Michael Graziano, and will pertain to captive husbandry and breeding of salamanders. Any speaker presentation regarding the captive husbandry and breeding of salamanders has eluded the GCHS for as long as I can remember. Perhaps because salamanders are not tolerant to excessive handling and certainly are not ?pets?, many herp keepers prefer snakes, lizards and turtles. Nonetheless, salamanders have the potential to be very interesting and often stunningly beautiful captives and study animals. Like any herps, you should do your homework and be prepared before you decide to acquire captive specimens. Amphibians tend to be much more fragile than most reptiles, so? know what you are getting into!

MEET THE SPEAKER:

See More on Mike in his ?herper of the month? feature on FieldHerpForum.com. See: herper of the month

Michael Graziano is currently a senior at the Ohio State University majoring in zoology with a minor in natural resources. Mike has been fascinated with herps for as long as he can remember, and his interests were encouraged and supported by his family, especially his mother and grandfather. Although he was born in Cincinnati, Mike spent much of his childhood in other regions of the United States. He lived in Illinois, California and South Carolina before returning to Cincinnati in high school. While young, Mike spent most of his time outdoors. Having lived in several states, he was able to experience many different types of habitats and animals. Mike?s mother supported his interest in herps. While in northern Illinois, she would take him to parks to see Blanding's turtles, painted turtles, and various other herps. She continued to support his interests when they relocated to California. As a youngster in California, Mike spent countless days running around the desert catching chuckwallas and desert iguanas, and would spend hours at the drainage canal near their home catching clawed frogs and toads.

The Carolina region proved to be Mike?s favorite place for herps, and still is today. He has returned to this region at every opportunity since having moved from South Carolina. Throughout Mike?s relocating experiences, he continued to consider Ohio his home state and many of his summers were spent at his grandparent?s farm near Wilmington, Ohio. His grandfather would take him to his creek as well as to lakes and preserves to catch softshell turtles and whatever else they could find.

Now 23 years old and with a car, Mike drives all over the east in search of various herps. His main interests are salamanders and turtles, and he has driven several hundred miles in search of just a single species of salamander. Mike has seen over 175 species of herps in the wild, many of which have been seen in the last few years. At home, Mike has always kept various species of animals. He has a strong interest in the captive breeding of various herps, especially turtles and salamanders. In addition to his personal field work, Mike has aided in several studies at Ohio State, and has worked with and has a strong interest in vernal pools and vernal pool conservation/restoration. He has also volunteered with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources in locating green salamanders and bog turtles and keeps records of rare and uncommon herp finds in Ohio.


Mike in the field with a spiny softshell turtle

This photo, taken by Mike, shows four species of salamanders, all in the "mole salamander" group.

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