Herpetology Club at NC State

Happy (belated) Earth Day from the H**p club!

After listening to our speaker Ron Grunwald, we went out to Schenck Forest to find larval salamanders, many worm snakes, and some other great finds!

A couple of nights ago some of our members went out during one of the first warm rains of the season to see some amphibian migration! We (and the salamanders) are looking forward to the next one!

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**petology
Ava Smith

We loved seeing everyone come out and make some h**p crafts! Here are some of what was made during our last meeting!

Welcome back! Come learn about the amazing speakers, events, and trips we have planned for this semester at our first meeting!

Join us on January 20th at 7:30pm in David Clark Labs room 101!

If you have any questions feel free to comment, message us, or send an email.

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R. Graham Reynolds PhD is a Professor of Biology at the University of North Carolina Asheville. He is an Associate of H**petology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, a National Geographic Explorer, and a Fellow of The Explorers Club. He serves as the Red List Co-Authority for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Snake Specialist Group. Dr. Reynolds earned a B.A. in Biology from Duke University, a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee, and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at UMass Boston and at Harvard University. His research focuses on endangered species, biodiversity, and vertebrate evolutionary genetics. He is a co-author of the books Boas of the World (2026), Boas of the West Indies (2023), The Reptiles of Tennessee (2013), and The Amphibians of Tennessee (2011).

Some of our club members went on a local trip to enjoy the last bit of sunny weather before the cold came in. We found some different species of frogs, two salamanders, and a tiny Dekay’s!

“As an undergrad I’ve worked as a dendrology TA, as well as the H**petology TA for the FWCB summer camp. I am currently wrapping up a year-long undergraduate research project consisting of a h**petology survey at Lake Raleigh Woods, a nearby urban forest. I have tried to take classes that would benefit my knowledge of community ecology.”

October 2025 - The Southern Hog-nosed Snake is being proposed for federal Endangered Species Act listing and we have until October 28th (Tuesday) to submit public comments encouraging protecting this important species and its habitat.

The link to do so is here: https://www.regulations.gov/document/FWS-R4-ES-2025-0210-0001

You don't have to write much, just a few sentences about why this species is important and deserves protection.

We know this species has disappeared over large parts of its range over the past century - now found only in scattered localities across the Carolinas, southern Georgia, and northern/central Florida. Even their historic strongholds in the North Carolina Sandhills are diminishing.

This species shares habitat with many other important species in our NC Sandhills. Protecting their habitat is essential for their survival and recovery, as is the case for all wildlife. Like the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, habitat protection for Southern Hog-nosed Snakes can serve as an “umbrella” that protects an entire natural community of endangered plants and animals. The once-widespread southern pine woods ecological community is now relegated to a limited number of parks, preserves, military bases, and miscellaneous categories of lands where not all of this unique ecology has been destroyed.

This past fall break, some of our club members visited Pisgah National Forest for a little h**ping! They found over 10 species of salamanders, explored waterfalls, met some unique gray squirrels, and enjoyed steamed bagels in Brevard.

Our next big trip is to Florida over spring break! It’s never too late to join the club and come on some awesome adventures.