Students in “Herpetology: Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles,” taught by Senior Lecturer Barbara Pytel, had a blast hunting for frogs, snakes, turtles and salamanders on a number of field trips this spring.
In-class topics included structural and functional characteristics, reproductive adaptations, and evolutionary relationships within the Amphibia and Reptilia, and among other vertebrate groups. Special emphasis was given to local fauna (which students happily got to know on outings like this one to Helderberg Workshop near Voorheesville, N.Y., in May). Al Breisch, retired New York State Department of Environmental Conservation wildlife biologist and author of The Amphibians and Reptiles of New York State, helped Pytel lead this field trip.
