Herpetology

Catalog description

This course provides a biodiversity survey that integrates lecture and lab to provide a comprehensive overview of herpetology, the study of amphibians and reptiles. Students will explore the evolutionary biology, taxonomy, physiology, ecology, and conservation of this fascinating group of organisms. The course will be global in scope, but with additional focus on local species. Lectures will cover both a current and deep time view of global herpetofauna, encompassing their evolutionary history, ecology and biogeography. Lab sessions will combine physical and digital media with computational data analysis in R, allowing students to gain practical understanding of key distinguishing characteristics of major groups and engage in hands-on research applications.