9:45am - Today we are doing a shoreline survey of Alderman's Ford nature preserve. This is an area of trails along the river and it could be a potential nesting site. George found predated nest which could have been from any of the three Pseudenys species found here.
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We are back in business and my phone has been resurrected from a watery death. After having to abandon our survey of the entire Alafia River due to inclement weather, we decided to visit our good friend and world-renowned turtle biologist Peter C. H. Pritchard.
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June 2, 2015
8:30pm - Had a half good day and a half bad day of fieldwork today. Today was overcast and cooler so only a couple turtles were basking. Also it rained for four hours along our approximately five mile paddle. We did get another yearling Suwannee cooter in hand which was great.
Read MoreThe first day of the survey for Suwannee cooters in the Alafia River was a success. Please enjoy this mini-travelogue of the day's adventure.
Read MoreIt is fitting that the beginning of our survey for the Suwannee cooter in the Alafia River coincides with the start of National Rivers Month. Rivers are an important habitat for turtles, and in Florida they support 15 of the 26 species found there.
Many rivers nationwide have a long history of environmental degradation and the Alafia is no stranger to the effects.
This morning myself and my good friend and research partner, George L. Heinrich are beginning a 22 mile survey of the Alafia River in west-central Florida. We are studying the status and distribution of the Suwannee cooter, Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis. This riverine turtle occurs in at least 18 rivers within Florida which flow into the Gulf of Mexico.
Read MoreTurtle Atlas held its first field trip. I was joined by Daniel Ksepka and Cynthia Ehlinger of the Bruce Museum, and two participants at Binney Park in Old Greenwich. This urban park is a great turtle spot. Although there is not a great diversity of species (only three), it is a fantastic spot to see large numbers of common snapping turtles.
Read MoreOne of the hands-on activities in Madagascar: Ghosts of the Past is a board game called the Tenrec's Tale. Tenrecs are amazing little creatures that rafted to the island millions of years ago. With a lack of competition from other animals, tenrecs evolved to fill many different habitats—diversifying into over 30 different species.
You play the game by drawing cards. Here are a few:
Read MoreStories about animals and artifacts by scientists at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT
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