CheloniaCast

Jack and Michael are joined by Dr. Richard Vetter, Professor and Researcher in the Departamento de Recursos Faunísticos y Medio Natural at the National University of Asunción in Paraguay, to talk about the biology, ecology, and treatment of Paraguay’s unique Testudine fauna. The conversation ranges from the primary conservation issues in Paraguay, what it is like to work as a veterinarian in Paraguay, distribution of Chaco and Red-...

Michael and Jason are joined by Dr. Jeanette Wyneken, Professor of Biological Sciences at Florida Atlantic University and Director of FAU’s Marine Lab at Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex. The conversation focuses on the anatomy, physiology, and behavior of sea turtles. Topics discussed include unique anatomical adaptations of sea turtles in the heart, lungs, and other organs, how sea turtles navigate as adults and when young, what...

Jason, Michael, Jack, Ken, and Wyatt sit down with Charlie Moorcroft, founder of the Moorcroft Conservation Foundation, to talk about his conservation, education, and husbandry projects and philosophy. The conversation focuses on Charlie's story, the goals of captive keeping, the role of education in forming the future of conservation and biology, tips for how to keep turtles and tortoises, and more.

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CheloniaCast sits down with Dr. Arthur Georges, Distinguished Professor in the Institute for Applied Ecology at the University of Canberra, to talk about his research on the ecology, evolution, and systematics of Australian turtles. The conversation ranges from the biogeography of and current threats to Australian Chelid species, the evolutionary and genetic basis of temperature dependent sex determination, the use of calculus in b...

CheloniaCast sits down with Dr. Peter Paul van Dijk, Senior Director of Wildlife Trade at Re:wild, to discuss turtle conservation and the turtle trade. The conversation ranges from exploring what drives the turtle trade globally, turtle trade dynamics, how turtle trade is quantified, stories from studying wildlife trade, and the prospects of effectively protecting turtles and tortoises. 

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Michael, Ken, and Jack sit down with Dr. Gerald Kuchling, Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the University of Western Australia and Principal Investigator of the Western Swamp Turtle Recovery Team, and Scott Thomson a researcher with the Centro de Estudios dos Quelônios da Amazônia based out of Manaus, Brazil, to learn more about the ecology, biology, anatomy, and conservation of the Critically Endangered Western Swamp Turtle (Pseudemydur...

Michael, Ken, and Wyatt are joined by Dr. Brad Shaffer, Director of the UCLA/La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Institute of Environment and Sustainability at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Shaffer has published over 300 peer-reviewed publications, many of which have focused on the phylogenetics and conservation of...

Michael and Wyatt are joined by Emma Browning, Senior Research Associate for the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, to discuss her research and experiences working with turtles and tortoises. For her graduate research at the University of Georgia, Emma studied box turtle home range, movement, and ecology at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. The conversation ranges from working with Gopher Tortoises, studying box turtle...

Jack and Michael sit down with Dr. Juliana Sterli who is a researcher with the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) based out of the Museum of Paleontology Egidio Feruglio in Argentina. Dr. Sterli is an authority on fossil turtle morphology and evolution and has worked on multiple research projects aimed at investigating turtle phylogenetics at different scales. The conversation ranges from discussing what i...

Wyatt, Michael, and Ken sit down with professor emeritus of zoological medicine at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Elliott Jacobson, to discuss a variety of topics related to turtle and tortoise health, infectious disease, and treatment. The conversation ranges from what it is like to research Testudine Intranuclear Coccidiosis and a variety of other infectious diseases, studying sea turtle diseases, a...

Michael, Wyatt, and Ken sit down with Gabriel Jorgewich-Cohen, a PhD student at the University of Zurich, to discuss the evolution and characteristics of turtle communication. The discussion touches on implications of turtle vocalizations in the choanate tree of life, the types of sounds turtles make and how they produce them, the ways in which turtles use vocalizations to communicate, and where the current mysteries in the field o...

Michael, Jack, and Wyatt sit down with Dr. Tyler Lyson, Associate Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, to discuss the origin, evolution, and purpose of the turtle shell and body plan. Topics covered include early stem turtle biology and anatomy, the dilemma associated with the phylogenetic position of turtles with respect to other amniotes, how turtles breathe, and what it is like to work w...

Jack, Michael, Ken, and Wyatt sit down with Dr. Pete Koplos, owner and veterinarian at the El Paso Animal Emergency and Veterinary Specialty Center, to discuss his veterinary experience with turtles and tortoises. Topics discussed include pathology and treatment of Testudine Intranuclear Coccidiosis (TINC), aspects of Testudine Herpesviruses, antibiotic use in turtle and tortoise treatment, how to prevent diseases from occurring in...

Michael, Jack, and Ken sit down with Rusty Reed the Turtle Man to talk about his passion and work with Alligator Snapping Turtles. Rusty has dedicated many days and nights to sharing the incredible world of the Alligator Snapping Turtle with people across the United States, and is curator of the Blackwater Turtle Refuge. This is an inspiring conversation filled with interesting bits of knowledge and many stories from Rusty's travel...

Cheloniacast sits down with Dr. Natalia Gallego-García, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Southern California Los Angeles, to discuss her work investigating population and conservation genetics of different species of turtle and tortoise. Topics such as what it is like to work in the field with the Magdalena River Turtle, temperature-dependent sex determination variation and how this impacts conservation, common mistak...

Jason, Michael, Jack, and Ken sit down with Dr. Anders Rhodin to discuss his adventures in pursuit of turtles and his research focused on Testudines. Dr. Rhodin is a retired orthopedic surgeon that has had a lifelong passion for turtles and tortoises. He is the Founder and Director of the Chelonian Research Foundation, Founding Editor and Publisher of the journal Chelonian Conservation and Biology and the monograph series Chelonian...

CheloniaCast returns after a spring semester hiatus. Jack, Michael, Ken, and Jason sit down with Cris Hagen, Director of Animal Management at the Turtle Survival Alliance’s Turtle Conservation Center and accomplished explorer, to discuss his many adventures in pursuit of Testudines. Cris has traveled extensively throughout the world to conduct research on turtles and tortoises. The conversation ranges from Cris’ experience working ...

On the season one finale of CheloniaCast, Michael, Jack, and Ken sit down with Dr. Peter Meylan, Professor Emeritus of Biology at Eckerd College, to discuss his past, and present, turtle research and adventures in the field. The discussion ranges from what it is like to work with specimens at the American Museum of Natural History, softshell and side-neck turtle phylogenetics, trips to Mexico in pursuit of turtles, the experience o...

In Episode 29 of CheloniaCast Jason, Michael, and Ken sit down with Eric Munscher. Eric is a researcher with SWCA Environmental Consultants as well as co-founder of the North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group (NAFTRG). A variety of topics pertaining to North American turtle research are covered, including turtle ecology in various spring systems, growth rates of various species of turtle, turtle movements, upcoming NAFTRG p...