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March-April 2009 Selected Content
Young Herpetologists - Nicole M. Moore
Early this summer, I was busy working in the house, when suddenly, I heard a loud commotion in the hallway. My twelve-year-old sister, Lydia, and fourteen-year-old brother, David had come running in from outside and were racing around gathering up cameras and other items, before dashing back outside.
"What in the world could they be doing?" I wondered. I ran outside to find out what was going on.
Come to find out, there was a garter snake in the backyard. Lydia had stumbled (almost literally) upon it when she was running around, and now she, David, and their older brother Douglas were busy trying to find the little guy, who was slithering for his life into the tall grass in our field.
But why all this excitement over a garter snake? Well, for the past couple of years, Douglas, David, and Lydia have all had a passion for herpetology. ("What's that?!" is most people's reaction when we mention the word herpetology. Most are surprised to find out that it's the study of reptiles and amphibians!)
Anyway, the three "herpetologists" have taken an intense interest in all sorts of reptiles and amphibians. Finding a herp, especially a snake, is always cause for excitement, and they observe each one with fascination--looking it over, documenting its measurements and other information, and taking pictures and videos. And that's what they proceeded to do with Mr. Garter Snake--once they caught him, that is. He had disappeared from sight, but Douglas's quick eyes spotted the grass moving and he was able to retrieve the wriggling reptile. Then Douglas, David, and Lydia all had to take turns holding him, letting him curl over their arms, slide around their necks, and even - (gulp) - kissing him, before letting him go again.
So how did all this excitement with herpetology start? I think a number of events contributed to their interest, but it really began to blossom in the winter of 2006. Steve Irwin's death the previous fall had been a major starting point for their passion; with all the publicity surrounding his death, Douglas and David began to research more about Steve and his work, and they discovered the Irwins' website for Australia Zoo. Steve's love for wild animals (especially the dangerous ones!) seemed to be contagious, and Douglas, David, and Lydia all became fascinated by animals, and amphibians and reptiles in particular.
Another event that further spurred their interest happened a couple of months later. David wanted to write articles and see if he could get them published in a local newspaper that my dad worked for. Since he was already interested in snakes and other reptiles, he decided to do some research and find out more about them, then write a few articles on the subject. He started getting reptile books from the library, and as he studied them, his interest in herpetology grew. Then he and Douglas came up with an idea--they would design their own website about herpetology, and it would be geared toward kids! Douglas, who has web programming skills, made the website, and David researched and wrote articles for it.
That summer, Douglas, David, and Lydia were fully engrossed with studying herps. Calling themselves "the herp kids," they started going on "herping" expeditions -searching for reptiles and amphibians to observe and document. Every few days, they'd pack knapsacks full of notebooks, cameras, and other gear, and trek down back through our field to the neighbor's property, where there are acres of woods and a couple of ponds--prime spots for finding herps. All summer long, they continued their herping adventures, finding and recording information about frogs, salamanders, snakes, turtles--any sort of reptiles and amphibians they could find!
With the coming of fall and winter, the herping expeditions came to a halt. There aren't many reptiles and amphibians to be found in the freezing winter weather of Maine. By the time spring rolled around, though, the three herpetologists were back at it again. They trudged through mud and splashed through pond water, looking for frogs and salamanders, and taking pictures of the globs of frogs' eggs growing in ponds and puddles. But compared to the previous year, the herping trips had become much fewer. For Douglas and Lydia, herpetology didn't seem quite so exciting anymore. In addition to that, Douglas had gotten a new job and had much less time for taking off on herping adventures.
For David, however, the passion for herpetology was, and is, still there. He's the one who's had the most enthusiasm and passion for the subject, and it shows by the amount of time and effort he puts into it. He still goes herping, even if he has to go by himself. He subscribes to Reptiles magazine and has his own reptile and amphibian field guides. He checks out stacks of herpetology books from the library, and spends time studying about herps nearly every day. He researches and writes articles about amphibians and reptiles of all kinds. And, of course, he has his own reptile, Sammy the leopard gecko. He hopes to expand his collection soon, adding other reptile pet. Bearded dragons and Russian tortoises are at the top of his wish list. Of course, he'd also love to get a python or some other type of pet snake--if my mother would allow one in the house, that is!
Like most interests, this fascination with herpetology has naturally led to many interesting and educational experiences. Whether spending hours researching and writing articles, or recording information about frog calls for a Maine research program, David's interest has kept him occupied with all sorts of activities. Furthermore, this passion may even change the course of his future. He has dreams of going to college to become a herpetologist or pursuing some other animal-related occupation--becoming a zoologist, maybe, or a veterinarian for exotic pets.
But whether he goes on to pursue herpetology in his future or not, this interest has given David, and all three of the "herp kids," a passion to live for and an interest to be absorbed in--keeping them busy with learning new things, having new experiences, and just having fun.
© 2009, Nicole M. Moore
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