Global amphibian populations are declining rapidly, due largely to infectious diseases such as chytridiomycosis caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). The Herpetolo18gy Department at the Sam Noble Museum has screened for Bd prevalence among amphibian communities across Oklahoma for over five years, providing ongoing data about the disease’s prevalence and distribution. Recently, the museum partnered with other Oklahomans through a...

Have you ever wanted to be a scientist? Or help a scientist make new discoveries? Join the Herpetology Department of the Sam Noble Museum in a brand-new citizen science project, where YOU become the scientist collecting real-world data! What is Citizen Science? Citizen Science is an up and coming method of gathering scientific data collection by members of the general public, rather than traditional...

The study of biological form is a vital goal of evolutionary biology and functional morphology. We review an emerging set of methods that allow scientists to create and study accurate 3D models of living organisms and animate those models for biomechanical and fluid dynamic analyses. The methods for creating such models include 3D photogrammetry, laser and CT scanning, and 3D soft- ware....

The University of Oklahoma Biological Station (UOBS) was established in 1950 in Marshall Co., Oklahoma along the newly created reservoir, Lake Texoma. Generations of biology students and independent researchers have documented the flora and fauna on the station grounds and surrounding areas. Herein we compare herpetological records for the area published in the 1950s to herpetology course survey events from 1978–1986 and...

The Sam Noble Museum is now back open as normal! But we know many families are still spending most of their time at home and/or their children are in virtual school. As such, Sam Noble Home continues to provide virtual programming efforts. View the list below for Herpetology-themed education activities created by the Sam Noble Museum, our local partners, or are reflective...

Digital Life Project Uses 3D Technology to Document Endangered Frogs for Future Generations UMass Amherst, Zoo Atlanta, Amphibian Foundation and University of Oklahoma highlight the world’s amphibians in 3D AMHERST, Mass. – The Digital Life team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst led by evolutionary biologist Duncan Irschick today unveiled an online set of 15 three-dimensional (3D) models of live frogs, including several...

This Spring, the Siler Lab has been busy participating in local conferences. In February, Jessa Watters attended the Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference in Tulsa, OK, where she networked worked with state wildlife officials, and presented the following talk: Oklahoma Amphibian Infectious Disease Sampling: Preliminary Results and Future Recommendations.  In early April, undergraduates Liza Marhanka and Shelby McMillin presented posters at OU’s Undergraduate Research...

Cameron Siler and art professor Dr. Peter Froslie have teamed up to create a fantastic new course entitled “Brunei – At the Intersection of Science and Art: Understanding Biodiversity and Conservation” in Summer 2017 (BIO 4970/ART 4823).  Brunei is on the island of Borneo, which cnontains a unique tropical rainforest that is home to 6% of the total world biodiversity, and includes such...

Last weekend, Siler Lab members joined in with 350+ other participants from around the state to sample biodiversity along Lake Texoma at the OU Biological Station for Oklahoma BioBlitz! 2016.  There were a total of 19 herpetological species documented, with two notable venomous snakes caught by graduate students Nick Huron and Joey Brown.  Graduate students also led an evening night hike to look for...

The Sam Noble Museum had another fantastic Science in Action event last weekend, with booths run from all over the museum, campus and Oklahoma (highlights included the Oklahoma Biological Survey and the Museum of Osteology). The museum holds the event annually and it is a great opportunity for the general public to enjoy the galleries for FREE, learn about what types of research...

In Spring 2016 nearly 40 teachers (and their students) and homeschool families participated in our Amphibian Infectious Disease Citizen Science project!  We hope to reach even more in 2017.  Our current efforts on the project involve working to extract DNA from all the frog swabs sent Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) DNA from everyone’s swabs.  Soon, we will be able to share the results of this pilot project...