The resources on this page are an aggregate of materials for anyone interested in herpetology. Whether you are a wildlife professional, university science educator, K-12 teacher, parent, student, or interested citizen, you will find these resources useful.
Note that we are also on the look out for resources that are unfamiliar to us. We want to be your one-stop-shop for any and all information related to herpetology. Please email us if you would like us to consider linking to your site or if you would like permission to link to the HERPS Project Web site. Happy Herping!
Available Resources:
- Herpetology Websites
- Citizen Science Projects in North Carolina
- National Projects
- Other Related Projects
- Articles focused on Herpetology Education written by the Grant PIs
- Puppet Stories
- Other Herpetology Books and Articles
Herpetology Websites
Carolina Herp Atlas. The primary objective of the Carolina Herp Atlas is to provide detailed data on the distribution of reptiles and amphibians of North and South Carolina.
NC Box Turtle Research. This website is intended to provide information to the public about the project and to enlist the help of citizens in providing information to scientists about box turtles in the Carolinas.
NC Box Turtle Project Leaders. Collaborative website for Box Turtle project leaders with data sheets and additional information for project leaders.
NC Calling Amphibian Survey Program. Follow pre-plotted routes and pause at designated stops to listen for and record amphibian calls.
NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ Web site provides an overview of their collection (preserved specimens) and their ongoing research projects. There is also a free checklist of NC reptiles and amphibians on their website. Additionally, the NC Museum of Natural Sciences hosts an annual Reptile & Amphibian Day that hosts hundreds of presenters and as many as 16,000 attendees.
Neighborhood Box Turtle project. NC Museum of Natural Science’s citizen sciprogram.
Project Bog Turtle. This website highlights the Bog Turtle and is dedicated to the conservation and protection of the Bog Turtle and its habitat in the Southeastern USA
Prairie Ridge Ecostation. Monitor box turtles, birds, weather and aquatic macro-invertebrates at this 38-acre ecostation near Raleigh. Citizen Science FrogWatch USA day, 7 p.m. April 9.
Slip, Slidin’ Away. This herpetological research experience for high school students, supported by a grant from the Burroughs Welcome foundation, ran for four years and predated The HERP Project.
Citizen Science Projects in North Carolina
To see the Braggs’ barred owl video, visit http://catawbalands.org/a-tree-to-call-home-dr-rob-bierregaard/video.php
All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory. Collect fungi, butterflies, insects and more, then help catalog them to create an index of the biological diversity in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Plant Stalkers. Starting in May, track invasive plants along the Eno River near Durham.
Fish Reports. N.C. Sea Grant Extension Program is testing a program using text messages to report numbers and types of fish caught and released by sports anglers. Contact: Scott Baker, bakers@uncw.edu.
National Projects
Firefly Watch. Project based at Boston Museum of Science.
Frog Watch USA. Learn about wetlands and help conserve amphibians by reporting the calls of local frogs and toads.
Project BudBurst the first leafing, first flower and first fruit ripening of a diversity of trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses in your area.
Open Dinosaur Project. Help create an online database of dinosaur limb bone measurements used to investigate questions of dinosaur evolution.
Great Backyard Birdcount. A program to identify and count birds where they live over four days in mid-February.
Project FeederWatch. Put up a bird feeder, watch the birds that use it and report your sightings online.
eBird. Report bird sightings to help create an online globally accessible database showing bird distribution and abundance.
Galaxy Zoo. Global program for armchair astronomers to sort and classify a million different images of galaxies according to shape.
Other Related Projects
Green salamander profile/research
NCWRC Diversity project contacts
The HERP Project Data Collection App
This app is for Android Platform Mobile Devices. Please email us at theherpproject@uncg.edu if you are interested in using this data collection app. From your mobile device, click the link below. After the app has downloaded you will need to install it on your device.
http://nc-herps.appspot.com/HERPS.apk
To view the data in a spreadsheet format go to http://nc-herps.appspot.com/
Articles focused on Herpetology Education written by the Grant PIs
- Matthews, C.E. & Tomasek, T. (2011). A home for herps is also a place for people. Children, Youth and Environments 21(1): 228-242.
- Scott, C., Tomasek, T. & Matthews, C. (2010). Thinking like a ssssscientist. Science & Children, 48(1), 38-42.
- Tomasek, T. & Matthews, C. (2008). Using reptile and amphibian activities in your classroom. Science Activities, 44(4), 123 -128.
- Tomasek, T. & Matthews, C. Toads give you warts—Not! (2008). Science Activities, 44(4), 129-132.
- Tomasek, T., Matthews, C. & Hall, J. (2005). What’s slithering around on your school grounds? The American Biology Teacher, 67(7), 419-425.
- Matthews, C. & Cook, H. (2004). Herpetologist transports third-graders to Frogland. Science Activities, 41(3), 26–34.
- Somers, A., Matthews, C. Bennett, K., Seymour, S. & Rucker, J. (2003). Outdoor adventures: Tracking eastern box turtles. Science Scope, 27(3), 32–37.
- Davidson, C., Matthews, C. & Patrick, P. (2001). Meeting the standards with vanishing frogs. The American Biology Teacher, 63(5), 352–357.
- Scott, C. & Matthews, C. (2012). Slithering into summer: Ideas for introducing your students to herpetology. Science and Kids, 49(8), 56-61.
- Benavides, A.W., Ash, M.C., Huffling, L., & Matthews, C.E. (2013). Taking Science Education Outdoors with Herpetology (the Study of Reptiles (turtles, snakes, lizards and alligators), and Amphibians (frogs and salamanders)): Equity in Action. Natura, 47-56.
Puppet Stories
The HERPS Project is pleased to share puppets, scripts and puppet staging with anyone in the state of North Carolina who is interested in teaching others about reptiles and amphibians. Please contact Terry Tomasek, Elon University, ttomasek@elon.edu or 336-278-5854, for details on how to borrow these materials.
Puppet Stage Assembly Directions
Sample Puppet Presentation Outline
Puppet Scripts
- Carolina’s Story
- Diary of a Frog
- Frog and Toad Jokes and Stories
- Pop Up Jokes
- Welcome
- A Kootenai Native American Legend: How the Frog Won the Race
- As the World Turns: A Soap Opera at the Temporary Pool
Other Herpetology Books and Articles
The Carolina Herp Atlas: An online, citizen-science approach to document amphibian and reptile occurrences. An article about the HERP Atlas as a citizen science project.
Catawba River Corridor Coverboard Project. An article by Shannon Pittman and Mike Dorcas.
Reptile & Amphibian Websites. Jeff Hall’s list of HERP related projects and info.
Somers, A. & Matthews, C. (2006). The Box Turtle Connection: A Guide to the Natural World. Published by the authors and available online at www.ncparc.org.
This project is supported by the National Science Foundation (DRL-1114558). Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.