VenomousReptiles.org Survey

Survey Question	Current Survey Question Should hobbyists ever free handle venomous reptiles with their hands? Recent Surveys Most venomous/toxic Naja species in the world? I have read that the Philippine cobra is the most venomous (mice, 0.2 mg/kg SC with the lowest reported value being 0.14 mg/kg SC) (Brown, 1973). I have recently, come across something in the Indian Journal of Experimental Biology (Vol. 30, (issue 12), pages: 1158-1162, 1992) which stated that the LD50 for Naja oxiana was the most toxic/venomous (mice, 0.18 mg/kg SC and lowest reported value was 0.10 mg/kg). Along with that, the mortality rate for untreated Naja oxiana bites are the highest among all Naja species (70-80%). N.oxiana also produced the lowest known lethal dose (LCLo) of 0.005 mg/kg, the lowest among all cobra species ever recorded, derived from an individual case of poisoning by intracerebroventricular injection. Following N. oxiana and N. philippinensis are N. melanoleuca at 0.225 mg/kg SC and then N. samarensis at 0.23 mg/kg. The water cobras (N. annulata and N. christyi also have very toxic venoms, but no SC values are listed. Only intraperitoneal (IP) values of 0.143 mg/kg for N. annulata and 0.12 mg/kg for N. christyi. IP values tend to be generally lower (more toxic than subcutaneous values, so it would be unfair to compare their IP results to the subcutaneous (SC) results of other Naja species. Then I have heard that (without solid evidence) that Naja nivea is the most venomous, although their murine SC LD50 range anywhere from 0.4 mg/kg (Toxicon, Vol. 5, issue 1, page 47, 1967) to 0.72 mg/kg (Australian venoms and toxins Databse). So which is the most venomous? To me it seems obvious that it is the Caspian or Oxus cobra (Naja oxiana), followed by the Philippine cobra (Naja philippinensis). What do you think or know? I've noticed that the Australian venom and toxin Database seems to have higher LD50 values for all snakes across the board. For example, for the black mamba IP value of 0.01 mg/kg is listed (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/004101018890219X) and Ernst and Zug et al 1996, list a SC value of 0.05 mg/kg for the black mamba. While the Australian venom and toxin Database listed much less toxic LD50's. So there seems to be a lot of variation. 2014-01-23 What's Your Favorite Venomous Snake? 2013-11-13 Deadliest Bite? 2013-09-16 IF the science of self-immunization for a snake envenomation was proven/perfected what is the least benefit(percentage) you would accept before practicing it on yourself? 2013-06-06 how did you learn to keep venomous reptiles? 2013-03-02 View All Survey Questions Have a good idea for a VenomousReptiles.org Survey question? Enter your idea!
If you were to apply a certain status to yourself that would appropriately describe your involvement with reptiles, which of the following would it be?   Posted: May 06, 2006   (130 votes, 46 comments) by Nightflight99   Herpetologist   Zoo Keeper   Herpetoculturist   Naturalist   Other (please specify)     (130 votes, 46 comments)
Survey Results
Herpetologist 34% (44) Zoo Keeper 9% (12) Herpetoculturist 34% (44) Naturalist 12% (15) Other (please specify) 12% (15)
Survey Comments
Sadie Mae Cro John, I guess, while you’re engaged in activity of rodentcide, as long as you’re not listening to the Beatles’ White album, writing messages in blood on the wall, or referring to yourself and coworkers as “The Family”, then actually there’s nothing wrong with the wanton slaughter of a few hundred “evil” little mice… at least, that’s what I tell myself when feeding time comes. I’ll tell you though, as soon as some of pythons get big enough, I’ m going to switched to using creationists as feeders as I feel guilty about killing the rodents...JUST KIDDING!!! I know, I know, I'm going to smoke a turd in purgatory for that one. Posted by toddg on June 5, 2006 Profiles! As I have said many many many times... Do not feel compelled to reply to or take seriously anyone who cannot be bothered to fill out their profile page. Serious people who want to be taken seriously will want you to know who they are. Trolls and shifty people will try to fill out as little as possible to be able to post whatever it is they feel the need to address without being held accountable for whatever it is that they say. If you are addressing anyone on this website and your profile is not filled out, then I, for one, do not lend any credence to whatever you have posted. Stand up and be recognized and be behind what you have to say or you really cannot complain if no-one takes you seriously. Karl H. Betz Vice President Southeastern Hot Herp Society Buzztail1@hotmail.com Posted by Buzztail1 on June 5, 2006 BGF Nailed It ! If you search the web under J. McKay and Creationism, you will find tons of postings by a J. McKay, B.Sc., who also goes by J. Mackay, B.Sc., and now apparently McKay PHD, when he visits our site ! Most of the postings on the web sound almost exactly like the posting he made here about Darwin! JohnZ Posted by Cro on June 5, 2006 Amateur Herpetologist At one time there were persons who engaged in an art, science, or study, as a pastime rather than as a profession. They were called Amateur Herpetologists, Amateur Astronomers, Amateur Naturalists, and Amatueur Biologists, etc.... These were often young folks without formal training, who would later grow up to be professionals and get paid for study of the field they loved. The term ``Amateur`` seems to have fallen out of use, which is ashamed, as it has no negative conotations. Indeed, Amateur Scientists are responsible for many, many discoveries. We should strive to bring back into usage the term ``Amateur Herpetologist.`` Best Regards JohnZ Posted by Cro on June 4, 2006 Well If I may, the devil is in the details and what I mean is anyone can be a Herpetologist, a Naturalist, Herpetoculturist or whatever they choice to call themselves. The difference is that a professional is paid for what they do. A nonprofessional is not paid; they do it because they enjoy doing it. Also to say that anyone could do a job is complete blatherskite; it would mean everyone is equal in education and ability. But people are only truly limited by only their education and natural ability and personal drive; and not what someone, who dislikes the idea of being less “special” than they feel they should be viewed as says. And for the record I may have picked Naturalist for my label. However, I have never nor will ever limit myself based on a bit of paper or have myself limited by those who feel that they are “special”. Thank you for your time, Sean Robertson Posted by DeusExSerpent on June 4, 2006 Sweet Irony! Todd: One of my favorite memories of live food prep at the Zoo involved a visit to the Reptile Building by Maynard Jackson, first African American mayor of Atlanta. Apparently, the Reptile Curator, one H.H., had advance notice that the Mayor would be visiting. He requested that I leave my section to kill and skin a few hundred mice for the baby Morlett`s crocks. It was a bit strange, as the crocks had been allready fed that week. So the Mayor comes in the back door of the Reptile Building, with his State Trooper bodygards, right into the live food area. Well, I am there murdering mice, and skinning them, and putting them on a tray for crocodile food. You should have seen the look on the Mayors face, LOL ! But he kept his kool, and shook my hand, and quickly went on into the exhibit area of the Reptile Building. I bet H.H. got quite a chuckle out of staging that! Best Regards JohnZ Posted by Cro on June 4, 2006 I think, in fairness to Psuedo-doctor McKay, the six-figure-salry reference may also include the two figures AFTER the decimal point. Posted by toddg on June 4, 2006 Creationist troll warning > By the way Darwin renounced many of his theories, among them was evolution the year he died. He admitted it was due to his lack of understanding, so really he gave no contribution to science. That part in particular flags this person as a troll. Typical creationist drivel. And I can say for a definate fact that the DOD is not paying anyone six figure salaries for venom consulting. Nice try mate. Bit of a 'Try hard Trudy' are we? Cheers B Posted by BGF on June 4, 2006 Hereptologists and latin names So Dr. McKay, if you are a herpetologist, will I see you in New Orleans this July at the meetings? I don't know what else you do to call yourself a herpetologist but I personally think that if you don't study the actual animals themselves "scientifically", you really can't call yourself a herpetologist either. If all you do is read literature and then talk to the department of defense or some other government organization then you can't really call yourself a herpetologist even if you have a degree. A degree doesn't make you a herpetologist. I am not saying that you aren't a herpetologist but I read a lot of scientific journals and haven't ever seen your name come up. If you or your wife do study reptiles or amphibians then you can call yourself one. But I didn't get that from your responses. So as a similar example from what you have been saying: If I tell the Department of Defense how to change the oil on a car but never change the oil of a car myself. Does that make me a mechanic? There are published academic herpetologists on this site. I believe Thomas Eimermacher's poster will be 5 spaces from mine at the herpetology meeting in New Orleans and I bet he knows and uses scientific names. I know his advisor does because I have met him and seen him give a lecture and no one in the world could say that he isn't a herpetologist. So, I also disagree with part of your statement because a lot of Ph.D herpetologists use scientific names! It is true that in academia there are many different types of herpetologists. Some are biologists who use amphibians or reptiles as their study organisms for their particular type of research (e.g. physiology, ecology, parasitology). Those type of herpetologists "with Ph.Ds" tend not to care as much about the diversity of herps around the world and don't get into the scientific names as much because names in the United States are pretty standardized. There are however a large number of herpetologists, like myself, who enjoy the diversity of reptiles and amphibians and became biologists in order to study these fascinating creatures. Systematists - the ones classifying and describing new species as well as looking at phylogenetic relationships among organisms, do use scientific names. I know because I know and work with many systematists and since most of the current systematics is done overseas, the common names are not as stable as the scientific names. So we use scientific names a lot. Systematists also seem to be the ones that own small libraries of herpetology books and that actually write and edit most of the herp books but that doesn't mean that they are more committed to their field. Many non-systematists publish in larger journals rather than write books about diversity. I have worked under several herpetologists that weren't concerned about all the species of the world and didn't know hardly any scientific names but they did excellent work and published big papers on the herps they did work on. Contributions to science is what is important for classifying biologists! Not the use of scientific names or knowledge on herp diversity. Robert P.S. Its been a long time since I have had time to post anything on this site. It is nice to know that constructive arguments still occur here. Posted by Snakeman1982 on June 4, 2006 Sweet Irony! Todd: Yep, the racers were King Cobra Food. They were shipped in live, from Lousiana, then Frozen to help kill any parasites. A couple of months later they were thawed for feeding. Best Regards JohnZ Posted by Cro on June 4, 2006 Sweet Irony! John, having to pre-kill hundreds of rodents and poultry must be hard enough. Even though they’re bred to be food, such is their lot in life, but I can’t imagine having to kill a snake to feed another snake (I’m assuming it was for a King cobra). That must be very difficult indeed! Posted by toddg on June 4, 2006 Pooper Scooper, and a Lot More John : I know that Daily Schedule all too well, it’s an absolute Headache, but I wouldn’t have traded the Experience for the World. The Zoo I worked for only had about 80 Herps present, but it was still a Full Time Job of Cleaning Cages, Preparing Food, Doctoring the Animals for Parasites, and Keeping Track of who has been fed and who hasn’t. Last but not least, trying to keep your hands away from the Dangerous Ends of your Hot Babies wile doing all this other stuff. All this in one day, every day. This is the part of Zoo work that most people do not get to see, or Experience, but I do wish they could. ..........................Be Safe Ya’ll, Happy Herping : Wally Posted by ALA_snake33 on June 4, 2006 Pooper Scooper Terry: I sure can respect the title ``snake pooper scooper,`` as will anybody else who has ever worked keeping reptiles at a Zoo ! Most people have no idea what is involved in the daily maintenance and food prep for a large reptile exhibit. I hear that some moderen Zoos get all their food animals pre-killed and frozen in zip lock bags! No more murdering and skinning 300 mice, 400 baby chickens, 30 adult chickens, 100 rats, and 3 black racers per week! What is the world coming to ? Best Regards JohnZ Posted by Cro on June 3, 2006 Thanks Thank you John. Dr. Minton was truly as good man, as was his wife Madge. Both were remarkable people and an inspiration to me even to this day. Incidentally, I placed myself in the mix as a "naturalist". Although, I do play the role as a herpetologist, as well as a Zoo professional, I have never liked to pigeon-hole myself into any one category as I am a science geek all the way around. If I can't dig up any herps on my outing, I'll wander off and start in with the local botany, entomology, even geology. The rocks that don't get up and walk away are still damned interesting. My slithering mouse-munchers still rank the highest, but I certainly wouldn't miss an opportunity to wade knee deep in guano to check out a colony of free-tailed bats while the gettin's good! So I'd have to go with "naturalist" (and no that doesn’t mean I'm doing it naked!) although....... there was this one time we were all drinking and there were these bats...LOL Posted by AquaHerp on June 3, 2006 I guess just "weird" I had to vote other...I have never tried to label myself as anything. I guess my parents did it for me when I was a kid since no one in my family is interested in the "creepy creatures" I was always the "weird one". I accidentally picked a vipera berus of of the ground as a 3 year old - luckily didn't get bitten - created a pandemonium of horror among all the family members and got hooked for life ;)...my thoughts at the moment were - "this is the most beautiful moving stick I have ever seen"...that was before the screams and horror from my mom, I guess the unexpected reaction made it stuck in my memory because I can still remember how it felt when I held the snake in my hand...I truly fell in love with snakes Posted by petra on June 1, 2006 Other... I tend to say that I might qualify as an "ameteur herpetologist" if anyone asks for a lable (not a title). "Herpetoculturist" is probably most correct, but aside from being too awkward for most people (including me sometimes) to pronounce, no one knows what it means and a simple question turns into a 3 minute explanation. Posted by LarryDFishel on May 31, 2006 Enough already! If we’ve all quite finished piling on the good quasi-doctor, may we please resume the survey? Next, we’ll be arguing about the prerequisites of being a “naturalist” and I hope it doesn’t involve nudity. toddg Posted by toddg on May 31, 2006 quote from below from the PHD "Your statement about a "PhD herpetologist" having nothing more to offer than other Bio and Zoo majors is simply asinine. If that were remotely true then the D.O.D would not be paying us six figures a year to instruct soldiers, because any one could do it." Weird, I've been contacted by two different Administrations for snakebite information...Once from the Clinton office for a trip to Africa and once for the Bush Admin when we first put boots on the ground in Afghanistan...wonder where my 6 figure check is.... Oh shoot, I guess anybody can do it... Kind of curious which University you attended to aquire your degree in Herpetology? Though to answer the survey....I like to think of myself as a snake pooper scooper! I guess no one will ever respect me with a title like that....hmph, If needed, I suppose I can give specifications and particulars as to what my qualifications are to have earned that title. Terry Posted by stopgetinpopped on May 31, 2006 Herpetologist Very well stated Doug ! You are very fortunate having Dr. Sherman Minton as a friend and mentor. Best Regards JohnZ Posted by Cro on May 31, 2006 Interesting comments I have found many of these comments quite interesting. Sadly, this particular query will never be settled here. Although I do take solace in the insight and kind words once given to me from my dear friend Dr. Sherman Minton who put it to me simply, a Herpetologist is a person who is dedicated, passionate, educated on their subject and contributes to the discipline. He was also quite clear the education could come from a myriad of forums and did not necessarily need to be defined as a hardcore academia background. It’s rather unfortunate that many in the academia arena as well as the general populace are far too short-sighted to see beyond their own self-absorbedness to acknowledge the contributions, or potential for, from others in the field. As far as what was written by Mr. McKay, I find it almost laughable, okay, not “almost”. Please tell me what herpetologist on the face of this rock don’t use proper scientific terminology when conversing about herpetology? I have yet to find one that won’t, as is proper and logical on all fronts. To claim anything other is simply ludicrous. And what degree in “herpetology”? Obviously this is someone attempting to stir the proverbial pot and a feeble attempt to make others look as less. Sad, very sad, but also quite transparent. It is indeed an argument that will not be settled any time soon. On the other hand, one that really need not be argued in the first place. It’s all about knowledge...period. And knowledge is NOT power. The “application” of knowledge is power. That is herpetology, practice that. Posted by AquaHerp on May 31, 2006 A-hole Mr. McKay, You just proved to this forum what a complete idiot you are. I recently won 1st place in a national biology contest. I wouldn`t call my self a uneducated person. I also have good results in school. I asociate both with herpetologists(with degrees) and herpetologists and herpetoculturists without a special degree. Actualy, you using the PhD think in your username smells like a complete lack of self-confidence which has to be corrected by a degree. I am 19 dude, and I have one published paper in a serious journal; the second one has also been accepted for publication. DId you have this when you were 19 ? I`m willing to bet against that. Common names tend to be missleading some times, that`s why smarter folk use scientific names. I asure you that my latin prononciation is better than yours. A HERPETOLOGIST is some one with a deep SCIENTIFIC understanding of reptiles and amphibians, who studies them and brings significant CONTRIBUTIONS to this field of science. Best regards, Alex Strugariu Posted by Snake18 on May 31, 2006 Scientific Names vs Common Names I would like to add something here. McKayPHD stated that they do not use Scientific Names wile Speaking among them selves. Well, me and most of my Herpetoculturist Friends do tend to use Scientific Names more than Common Names. Any Herper with Sense would know that using Scientific Names, clarifies the Subspecies that you are referring to a lot easier than using the “endless” amount of Common Names that are given for one single Species. This would make sense, would it not? Take Agkistrodon piscivorous for example. This one Species is known by Cottonmouth, Moccasin, Water Moccasin, Trap Jaw, Gapper, and Swamp Moccasin. These are all Names Tied to one single Species. Now, would you rather use Scientific Names, or have all that confusing “Bull” thrown at you? ............................Be Safe Ya’ll, Happy Herping : Wally Posted by ALA_snake33 on May 30, 2006 naturalist Whats the matter McKay??Animal Planet turn you down? Im sorry. You spent all of that time getting your PhD and I still dont know your name.....nor have I read any of your publications. Please send me any of your papers. Show me some contributions you have made to the world of herpetology. Is this what this is all about? You spent your whole life trying to achieve something and the only thing it adds up to is trying to make yourself seem well versed on this forum? Its sad. I wasnt kissing the alligator either, it just looks like I am. And I didnt have anything to do with any bans. I dont even keep any animals. People like you make "us" seem like stuck up jerks. I can do without your pathetic story....and I will. Im sorry for clogging up this topic with my rants,and this will be the last I respond on this subject. I did some thinking and I guess I would call myself a naturalist. Posted by bush_viper17 on May 30, 2006 All that education in biology yet not a dime dropped in the grammar department eh? What a shame. Most Ph.D. biologists I meet tend to represent themselves a bit better than that. They also do tend to lean toward the Latin in all of its many different pronunciations - considering the language is 'dead' and no longer a required study. But I digress. I'm just going to be a lowly high school biology teacher with a bachelor's degree and I actually agree with you in the view that, IMO, non-academic folks aren't technically herpetologists but rather herpetoculturists, snake enthusiasts, naturalists, and what have you. However, to come here making every effort to degrade people for giving their opinions is, well, unprofessional to say the least. And a governtment employee too? Oh why do I even bother? Judging by the 'tone' of your type-written word, you're probably just a 16-18 year old disgruntled high school or early college level student with low self-esteem who decided that insulting those here would give you a boost. Posted by Chance on May 30, 2006 ???? I just noticed your pic in your profile bush_viper. Hey, aren’t you the kid who washed my car last week? If you (can) read both of my posts you will find that I did not start this debate. As far as being proud to have achieved more than 7-11 clerk in my life, well, I will just say you can address me as Dr. Wife-beater. By the way there Mr. Herpetologist you should have paid attention in class. Kissing a reptile can give you salmonella. Guess you missed that on animal planet. Your post has just supported my statement that the problem with this science are the people in this hobby. I do my best to respect every ones interests and knowledge, people like you make it easy to just start pushing harder for Gov. intervention in regards to the private sector keeping hot animals. Posted by McKayPHD on May 30, 2006 yes, and people that parade around the name PHD and argue like you do in public forums most likely wipe their butts with baby wipes and beat their wives.... Posted by bush_viper17 on May 30, 2006 KRYYYKEEE Thats all I had to do? Man... What a waist of time and money, I could have stayed at home all day with an extra heavy dose of Animal Planet. I got jipped dude..... LOL that was funny Toddg. Posted by McKayPHD on May 30, 2006 Hmmm I do believe you just argued against yourself? You are 100% correct every person you mentioned was nothing more than a naturalist. (By the way Darwin renounced many of his theories, among them was evolution the year he died. He admitted it was due to his lack of understanding, so really he gave no contribution to science. Except describing new species.) You keep classing naturalists with herpetologists, which makes it very clear you have no grasp on the definition of either. Your statement about a "PhD herpetologist" having nothing more to offer than other Bio and Zoo majors is simply asinine. If that were remotely true then the D.O.D would not be paying us six figures a year to instruct soldiers, because any one could do it. You seem to have a problem with those who are educated, generally this is found in people who are... well... unable to attend, comprehend or handle the work load of schools of higher education. Again you keep missing the point. I can change the oil in my truck, that does not make me a mechanic. If I may use this as a comparison: If you hear a guy say he is a Special Forces soldier or Navy SEAL and he has not really been through all the training we go through. He is a liar. Now he may be able to shoot and navigate, but he is still a liar.Right? Well being a Herpetologist requires a degree, education, and training. You may have thousands of reptiles, but if you claim to be a herpetologist and you have not met the required education standards, then you are no better than the guy saying he is SF. The problem with this science seems to be this hobby. My colleagues and I tend not to associate with laymen for this reason. I was standing in a local pet store recently listening to a 20 year old kid claiming to be a herpetologist and trying to educate me with a plethora of scientific names (most of which were mispronounced)as I stood there acting ever so interested, I could not help to think of how completely stupid this person must be. His lack of self esteem must have pushed him to this idiotic gesture. This is such a common theme among "wanna bees". If you want to be a Herpetologist then go to school earn a degree and then (pay attention this is IMPORTANT) Work in the same field your degree is in! In closing I will say this, I am willing to place a wager on the table that you have never had one single conversation with any one with a degree in Herpetology. Side Note: If you choose to continue lying about your status and giving yourself a little title, make a mental note. We rarely use scientific names when talking to each other. This is a dead give away that you are behind the learning curve. Posted by McKayPHD on May 30, 2006 Oh yea, well... I’ve seen ALL the episodes of Crocodile Hunter on Animal Planet (including Croc Files) so that means I can call myself a herpetologist, right? C’mon guys, it’s just a survey. Call yourselves whatever you want! Posted by toddg on May 30, 2006 "herpetologist" Herpetologists make significant SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS to our knowledge of reptiles and amphibians. The key words here are scientific and contributions. If this is not you then you are not a herpetologist with or without a degree (or television show). Posted by Crotalus75 on May 30, 2006 I have met my share of PhD Herpetologists and I must say that most of them have nothing on herpetologists with other formal studies or no superior studies at all. Alex Posted by Snake18 on May 30, 2006 I disagree ! Again, I disagree. Of course, I am goind to atend college(biology; starting this fall), get my masters degree and PhD but I would never disconsider a self-educated naturalist. That would be ignorance. There are so many people who thought their selves everething they knew and who have done so much more for science then "educated" people. Just a few example that NOBODY can ignore: Charles Darwin(he was an amateur naturalist with no prior biology "training"), Klauber, Ion E. Fuhn(Romania`s greatest herpetologist ever. It`s thanks to him that we have most of our info. He published his books under the Romanian Science Academy so I guess that says plenty about him). Prove me wrong ! Posted by Snake18 on May 30, 2006 PHD/MD I am a Herpetologist, I am involved in venom studies and I am an instructor for the Dept. of Defense. My wife is an MD and also works for the D.O.D specializing in envenomation medicine. (Being an MD who specialized is the only way to be recognized as an expert/ "specialist" in envenomation) For those of us who have gone to school, sat through countless lectures and killed ourselves to maintain a 4.0 GPA. Who dedicated countless hours to study and research. Who after all that will be in debt for the rest of our lives to pay off student loans. Not to mention countless other personal sacrifices that have to be made to succeed. It is very aggravating to hear anyone who has not done these things, to make any statement eluding that they are our equal. I believe it is wonderful that so many enjoy reptiles as a hobby. I agree that there are a few Herpetoculturists that are dedicated to study, but being able to use "scientific lingo" and being able to get a paper published in a magazine or even writting a book does not make them a Herpetologist. Giving yourself a title you have not earned is cheap and unprofessional. I own horses and treat them for every thing from cuts to colic, that does not make me a Veterinarian. I am not trying to take away from anyone here. I am asking you to do the same and not take away from those of us who are dedicated, educated professionals. You only make yourself look ignorant. Posted by McKayPHD on May 29, 2006 naturalist I would have to go with naturalist or amateur herpetologist. I study snakes,but not in a controlled environment or for any important reason nor do I have the tools to do extensive research. I previously owned numerous venomous and non venomous snakes, but now I get my kicks by finding them in the wild and leaving them there, where they belong, in my opinion. Posted by bush_viper17 on May 28, 2006 Herpetologist Alex is absolutly right ! Being a Herpetologist has nothing to do with having a degree from some university. One of the most well known and respected Herpetologists in this country was Laurence Klauber. His ``Rattlesnakes - Their Habits, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind``set a standard in research that few modern books or researchers can approach. Mr. Klauber had NO degree in Herpetology or other sciences. Having a piece of paper from some college or university does not make someone a Herpetologist. Best Regards JohnZ Posted by Cro on May 27, 2006 Herpetologist F.Zehring: I disagree. A herpetologist is a person who studies reptiles and amphibians. I live in Romania and there is no masters degree in herpetology here. Actualy, one of our great herpetologist was a philosefer. And yet he wrote the greatest herpetology books in Romania so far. A herpetologis is a person with a deep scientific understanding of reptiles and amphibians, who studies any aspects of herpetology and who publishes his results in scientific journals. Best regards, Alex S. Posted by Snake18 on May 22, 2006 Herpetologist The only way that you can actually call yourselves a Herpetologist is if you have a 'degree from an institute of higher education stating that you graduated a 4 year program majoring in Zoology with an emphasis in Herpetolot'. Posted by rattlesnake2 on May 21, 2006 Snake Specialist With 15 years capturing hots and 20 capturing and studying non - hots and other reptiles and amphibians. I would consider calling myself a Herpiculturist / Herpitologist and a all out naturalist with the goal of teaching the conservation of our herpifauna... James Andy Vanover Moderator R.A.C.E. CHEERS....... Posted by casabela28 on May 15, 2006 "If you were to apply a certain status to yourself that would appropriately describe your involvement with reptiles, which of the following would it be?" Interesting question! I do not really consider myself any of the choices - or at least not solely any one of the choices. I guess I have been most accurately described as an educator and safety advocate. I believe that the most profound impact that have in my involvement with venomous snakes is educating children (and their parents) about the dangers of and necessities for venomous snakes in the wild and my push for keepers to take every possible safety precaution when keeping and caring for venomous creatures. Karl H. Betz Posted by Buzztail1 on May 13, 2006 ala' natural Although I keep nine snakes, I opted for naturalist because I have no desire to breed any of my snakes, excluding my Indian pythons, and only because they are endangered. I know there’s money to be made in the latest designer snake morph, but I have no desire to produce the latest pastel, bumble bee, platinum, spider, super-tiger, titanium, paradox albino retic because… well… it isn’t natural and it isn’t found that way in the wild. And while I begrudge no one for such endeavors these designer animals fail to capture my imagination and my interest. toddg Posted by toddg on May 9, 2006 Naturalist Amateur Herpetologist and Herpetoculturist for sure, but I also love tracking, survival living, plants and wildlife observation. I love taking long distance kayak trips. During these extended periods of emersion in nature the many facets of the various ecosystems I visit are revealed. Andrew Posted by MoccasinMan on May 8, 2006 Snake obsessed student I consider myself, as Rom Whitaker put it, a "Snake Addict." I think the term "herpetologist" has become a trite and overused expression. Posted by Crotalus75 on May 8, 2006 “Crazy Snake Man” This is what People that find out my Major Hobby is Snakes call me. As for my personal evaluation “Ex Zoo Keeper, Swamp Rat, Herpetoculturist, Cottonmouth Nut, and all around Snake Lover”. I just cant think of one definite word to describe myself by. This is probably the hardest question I have seen on the survey section. ...................................Be Safe Ya’ll, Happy Herping : Wally Posted by ALA_snake33 on May 7, 2006 Herpetologist I voted "herpetologist". I will soon have my first paper published in a international journal of zoology (North-Western Journal of Zoology) and I`m currently working on another few research projects. Alex S. Posted by Snake18 on May 7, 2006 I could be called a Herpetologist, because I am interested in the study Reptiles and Amphibians. However, I am also a Naturalist, Herpetoculturist, former Zoo Keeper, and many other things. Best Regards JohnZ Posted by Cro on May 6, 2006 Medical Dude The best description that I can come up with is "Snakebite Specialist" or "Envenomation Specialist", although when I say the latter, people say, "Huh?" The former is more to-the-point and requires no explanation. What makes it worse for me is that there really isn't an official designator nationwide for what I do. That would make life a lot easier for me if there was though. Chris Harper, NREMT-P "Snakebite Specialist" ;-) Posted by Chris_Harper on May 6, 2006 To post a comment, you must be logged in. If you are not a member, become one now!