We are excited to announce that Journal of Herpetology has begun continuous publication, where articles are published officially online shortly after they are accepted.
2017 Meritorious Teaching Award in Herpetology
Sponsored by: American Society of Ichthyologists & Herpetologists (ASIH), The Herpetologists’ League (HL), and the Society for the Study of Amphibians & Reptiles (SSAR)
The Herpetology Education Committee is seeking nominations for the 2017 Meritorious Teaching Award in Herpetology, which will be presented at the Joint Meetings of Ichthyologists & Herpetologists (JMIH). This award recognizes superior teaching effectiveness and mentoring of students in the area of herpetology, and provides student members of the North American herpetological societies the opportunity to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to herpetological education, in either the classroom or mentoring student research endeavors. Winners of the award will be encouraged to become active in the HEC, which will facilitate continuity of the HEC and maintenance of the standards by which future awards are bestowed.
Letters of nomination are due to the HEC Chair by 31 March 2017. Please see the linked document below for full details.
Full details: The Meritorious Teaching Award in Herpetology 2017
Zhao Ermi, respected Chinese herpetologist
We are sad to announce the passing of Ermi Zhao (赵尔宓), a colleague, friend, scientist and world-renowned herpetologist, last month in December 2016. Zhao Ermi is best known as the former deputy director of the Chengdu Institute of Biology, who presided over a prodigiously productive program of new species discoveries, systematic analysis, and biogeographic explorations becoming one of the leading experts of Chinese herpetology. He is best known to western scientists as the co-author of Herpetology of China with Kraig Adler in 1993. In addition, he wrote several books on Chinese amphibians and reptiles and wrote over 140 scientific papers including several new species, subspecies and even generic descriptions for amphibians and reptiles. He became a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2001 and was named an Honorary Foreign Member of ASIH in 2008. Zhao Ermi will be remembered for his curious mind, his scientific rigor and dedication to herpetology.
Guest Blog Post: Five Frog Documentary Recommendations
The following is a guest blog post by Madhushri (Maddie) Mudke. She is a researcher, ecologist and conservationist. Nothing excites Madhushri more than frogs and birds, and it is her dream to change people’s attitude towards animals, especially frogs and other bio-indicator species.
Madhushri runs a wildlife + responsible travel blog called GirlGoneBirdzz, and you can read more about her at: http://www.girlgonebirdzz.com
The holiday season is here! Without any argument, it is the best season to find a comfortable couch, a warm blanket and some chocolate brownies. Watching Game of Thrones or Netflix is indeed a great idea while snuggling up, but I’d rather watch frog documentaries. Why? Because these have taken me on an awesome trip into the world beyond mine. The movies I have listed here are inspiring, intriguing and hair-raising all at the same time. I think it is a brilliant idea to make use of the holiday season to learn something exciting while not compromising on the entertainment.
Following are five of my favourite freely available films on frogs. Take my list and just watch the documentaries below, and soak up this world that you have never imagined.
What’s it about? This is by far, my favourite frog documentary. Not only is it in Sir David Attenborough’s voice but it also tells you about every basic fact that you must know about these incredible lil’ creatures. The movie is a journey into a weird and cryptic world of frogs. It talks about their life histories, their extraordinary anatomies and their unbelievable breeding behaviours. The film shows colourful frogs from the rainforests that live high up in the canopy and glide down to the ground. It also features frozen frogs showcasing their extraordinary hibernation skills.
What’s it about? The deadly chytrid fungus that is spreading all over the world. Allison Argo, who is known for lending her voice to animals that cannot speak for themselves, has narrated and directed this movie. In her strong yet soothing voice, she stresses on the major concerns in the amphibian world. This video will take you on a roller-coaster ride and will get you thinking from the depths of your grey matter!
What’s it about? The Frogs of Sharavathi Valley and the Western Ghats of India created by my dear friends Saurabh and Ramit. The documentary shows life in monsoons in the deep forests of India. It focuses on some endangered and endemic species of frogs. The creators broadcast a colourful and psychedelic journey into the lives of lesser known frog species while stressing on their importance in the ecosystem.
What’s it about? Coyote Peterson’s adventures have always fascinated me. This is one of my favourite episodes wherein he handles a poison dart frog. (Some poison frogs have skin toxins potentially dangerous to humans, and I do not encourage anyone to do stunts that Coyote does.) In this video, he handles the Granulated Poison Frog.
What’s it about? Professor Jean-Marc Hero talks about the connections between human beings, frogs and the planet Earth. TED talks have always inspired me. And this talk is about something I truly believe in. Professor Jean-Marc’s presentation is inspiring and thought-provoking not only to students and professionals studying frogs but also to people from various other backgrounds. If any of the documentaries above have gotten you a tad bit interested in frogs, you must add this TED talk to your playlist and take a leap further in the world of frogs!
Happy holidays everyone! I hope you enjoyed that article. Stay tuned for more such amazing frog facts – we post every Friday!
If you have missed any of the previous #FridayFrogFact posts – read them all over here! And if you liked this article, join our growing community of amazing froggers on Facebook. Also please fill out this form and tell me what would you like to read in the next post.
Now go and croak it out (read share this article) to the entire world on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Sharing the #FridayFrogFact with your friends on social media is a great idea to show your love for these species <3
Herpetological Review 47(4) released online!
HR December 2016, Volume 47, Number 4. Our cover features a field photo of an adult Vipera walser, a recently described species from the western Italian Alps, photographed by Matteo Di Nicola. This issue is scheduled to be mailed 19 December, although full contents are now available online to SSAR members at ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-PDFs. All Natural History Notes, Geographic Distribution Notes, and Book Reviews are Open Access and are now available for download. If you are not a member of SSAR, please consider joining the leading international herpetological society. Student and online-only rates available. Follow the “Join SSAR” link. Congrats to Matteo for another great cover photo!
How to access Herpetological Review
Herpetological Review issues from 1967–2011 and all Natural History Notes, Geographic Distribution Notes, Book Reviews, and other select sections from 1967 – 2016 are now Open Access and available as PDF downloads on our website. Additionally, complete issues from the last five years are available to SSAR members who login. You can find all of these here:
SSAR Grants in Herpetology and Herpetologists’ League Grant Applications
The Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles’ Roger Conant Grants in Herpetology are due Dec 15, 2016. This includes grants for graduate and undergraduate research. The Herpetologists’ League’s E.E. Williams Grant in Herpetology is due Dec 15, 2016 and its Jones-Lovich Grant in Southwestern Herpetology is due 6 January 2017. For more information about the HL grants and the application process see here : http://
How to access Journal of Herpetology
SSAR members can now access articles from the Journal of Herpetology through our new membership management at Wild Apricot. Once logged into the Wild Apricot page, you can click through “Publications” to “Journal of Herpetology”, and you’ll be rerouted to the BioOne page for the journal. Herpetological Review is available here.
To learn how to access your account on Wild Apricot, please follow the directions in our previous post here: https://ssarherps.org/2016/10/how-to-access-ssar-membership-accounts/ .
SSAR President-Elect Rick Shine Wins Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
Please join us in congratulating SSAR President-Elect Rick Shine for winning the 2016 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science! You can read much more about Dr. Shine’s research and this prestigious award here:
How to access SSAR membership accounts
As we mentioned briefly before, our membership accounts have migrated from ZenScientist to a new host. Here’s what you need to do to access your account:
- The new site is accessible here: https://ssar.wildapricot.org/
- If you have Google or Facebook accounts under the same email as your membership, you can try to login via those authentication buttons.
- Otherwise, enter the email address associated with your account and click “Forgot password” to request a new password.
SSAR publications are available here!
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