Reptiles and Amphibians Captured in Herpetology Class Spring Semester 2003 Kerie Corley Undergraduate Tennessee Technological University Cookeville Tennessee 38505

Introduction Using a study group to determine the catchability of reptiles and amphibians in Tennessee Testing the assumption of equal catchability is fundamental to understanding amphibian populations (Arntzen, 272) Census a population…by turning rocks and logs (Meche 533) The effectiveness of pitfall versus funnel traps … using drift fence data (Enge 467) Traps should be checked every three days to minimize mortality (Enge 467)

Objectives/Hypothesis To determine which species of Reptiles and Amphibians can be captured by a group of undergraduate students. The object of this research is to determine How many specimens of each species can be captured by an undergraduate class in the spring semester of 2003.

Methods and Materials I used the methods outlined in the Peterson field guide. The materials that were used are also outlined in the Peterson field guide. I also used a “Herp Scoop” as described in Herpetological Review Issue 30

Results and Discussion As was expected we caught a wide variety of species We caught a total of 575 specimens There were more amphibians than reptiles In the amphibians there were more salamanders than frogs In the reptiles there were more snakes than lizards and more lizards than turtles. Some species found in this area were not captured by my study group Some species captured by my group were rare to this area While other species were caught a great number of times

Amphibian Data Tables

Reptile Data Tables

Ratio of Species

Conclusion In all I believe we caught a wide enough variety to determine the density of different species in this area We had fun