History of Herpetology, Part 4: expanding research and collections

November 14, 2022 • by Nicole Elmer
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cannatella

DAVID CANNATELLA

David Cannatella became part of the UT faculty in 1990, starting as a research Curator before becoming tenured. He is an evolutionary biologist and Professor in Integrative Biology as well as the Associate Director of the Biodiversity Center. He received his B.S. in Zoology at the University of Southwestern Louisiana; his M.S., M.A., and his Ph.D. in Systematics and Ecology at the University of Kansas. Cannatella is very interested in understanding the amphibian Tree of Life. His lab focuses on research on evolution of frogs from a phylogenetic perspective. These include speciation, biogeography, biodiversity of Neotropical species, phylogenomics, integrating fossil and phenotypic data, acoustic communication, aposematism and chemical defense in poison frogs, a group of about 300 Neotropical species. In 2022, Cannatella was elected as a fellow to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

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TRAVIS LADUC

Travis LaDuc is the Curator in the Herpetology Collection. He was born in Tucson, Arizona where he developed an early interest in reptiles, partially because of childhood allergies to animals with fur (since outgrown!). In high school, one of his first jobs was as a reptile keeper at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. While working as zoo keeper, LaDuc participated in many outreach programs with the public, a passion that transitioned to his early days at the Texas Memorial Museum where he participated in many public outreach events at schools and civic events. His previous zoo experience helped to support opportunities to display live animal exhibits (reptiles and invertebrates) at the TMM in the mid 2000’s.

LaDuc worked on several field projects during his time as a zookeeper and subsequently, as an undergraduate student at the University of Arizona. Those field experiences, particularly those working with montane rattlesnakes in southeastern Arizona and herpetological surveys in the Yuma Desert in southwestern Arizona, solidified his passion for rattlesnakes and deserts. He received his B.S. from the University of Arizona, his M.S. from the University of Texas at El Paso, and his Ph.D. here at UT. While working on his dissertation, LaDuc maintained a colony of 60+ live venomous snakes in his lab space within Patterson Labs (PAT). As Curator, LaDuc works with over 116,000 (and growing) amphibian and reptile preserved specimens. He also teaches natural history field courses and continues to participate in outreach activities. His own research focus is on the biodiversity and natural history of Texas reptiles and amphibians, with current and recent projects examining the demography, habitat use, and natural history in three populations of reptiles: Plain-bellied Watersnakes (Nerodia erythrogaster) on the University of Texas campus, Yellow Mud Turtles (Kinosternon flavescens) in Jeff Davis County, and Spot-tailed Earless Lizards (Holbrookia lacerata and H. subcaudalis) across the state of Texas.

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